Nothing Like You
by a-bit-of-madness
Summary: When Jess came back to show her his book, Rory asked him to run away with her, so he whisked her off to Truncheon and started to help her put her life back together. Now, stitched up and blissfully happy, she is ready to face her final year of college, with the promise that he will be waiting for her on the other side. Sequel to She's Lost Control/Previously When You Open Your Eyes
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

When Luke arrived an hour later, the back of his truck was full and ready for any and all contingencies.

"I have a full tank of gas and I looked up a couple bed and breakfasts we could stay at between here and Maryland, plus I've got some camping gear if you want to stay in a cabin for a few days, though I didn't think you would, but who knows," he babbled as she pulled her suitcase down the stairs. "Or, if you want, we can go somewhere else and make a real road trip out of it, we don't have to go to Maryland."

"Maryland is great, Luke," Lorelai beamed at him. "All that matters is that it's happening. We're getting married."

"We're getting married," Luke echoed.

"Are you ready?"

"Absolutely." He leaned down and kissed her, then took her suitcase and headed out to the truck.

They were about two hours into the drive when they passed a sign indicating how many miles they were from Philadelphia and Lorelai started to panic.

"Rory!" She gasped. "Oh my God, Luke! Rory's not here! We didn't call Rory! Oh my God! I can't believe I did this! I can't believe I didn't call Rory! She's going to hate me!"

"Wait a minute," Luke reached out and put his hand on her knee in an attempt to comfort the hysterical woman beside him. "We haven't actually gotten married yet. We can go to Philly and get married, just show up at their door and make it a surprise. She'll be thrilled."

"You wanna bet?" Lorelai laughed spitefully. "She's going to hate me! God, we were just getting back to normal after everything and now I go and screw it all up by not calling her as soon as I got home to pack! What the hell is wrong with me?!"

"Nothing is wrong with you," Luke assured her. "You were excited. We both were."

"God, this is supposed to be the happiest day of my life and I go and ruin it by forgetting to bring my own kid with me!"

"You didn't ruin it," Luke assured her. "All that matters is that we're getting married and we can do it anywhere- City Hall, a church, Maryland, Philly, it doesn't matter. Whatever you want."

"You really are the perfect man, you know that?" Lorelai let out a shaky sigh and smiled. "God, why didn't we do this years ago."

"I was stupid," Luke shrugged.

"We both were."

"It's a good thing we smartened up, then."

"Apparently not that much," Lorelai frowned.

"Well, we're getting better."

"I love you, Luke Danes," Lorelai laughed and took his hand.

"I love you too, Lorelai Gilmore."

"Gilmore-Danes, I think."

"Really?" Luke was a little shocked. "I didn't think-"

"You didn't think I wanted to be Mrs. Danes?" Lorelai smiled up at him. "Because you thought wrong, mister. Unless you don't want me to change my name."

"No!" Luke shook his head vehemently. "No, I love it!"

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore-Danes," she mused. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Definitely."

They were an hour away from Truncheon when Lorelai started freaking out again.

"Stop obsessing!" Luke ordered, noticing how fidgety she was. "It's going to be fine."

"I hope so," she sighed.

"I know so. Besides, we're almost there."

"I know."

"Do you want to call her ? Maybe if you talk to her you won't be so nervous," Luke suggested.

"No, I don't want her to get preemptively mad. I'll lose my nerve."

"I don't think I've ever seen you lose your nerve," Luke assured her. "Not in the twenty years that I've known you, and there have been many times when I wished you would because you have a habit of jumping head first into things you shouldn't."

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai demanded. "I'm a very careful planner."

"Ha!" Luke barked. " _Rory_ is a careful planner. _You_ wake up at three in the morning and announce that it's the perfect time to go for a road trip."

"That was _one_ time!" Lorelai argued. "And it wasn't three in the morning, it was eleven at night and I had just cancelled my wedding."

"Two weeks ago you woke me up and told me you wanted to drive to Disney World!"

"Really? I don't remember that."

"Shocking," Luke said sarcastically.

The conversation lagged and Lorelai went back to fidgeting, and biting her lip.

"It's going to be fine!" He repeated for the hundredth time.

"I know."

"Then stop chewing a hole through your lip."

She clenched her teeth in an attempt to control herself and switched to jiggling her leg until the entire truck shook.

"Why do you think she's going to be upset?" Luke asked, glancing over at his fiancee.

"It's not so much that I think she'll be upset," Lorelai explained. "It's more that I think she's going to think I'm being overly rash and try to talk us out of this and I don't want to do that. I want to get married, I _need_ to get married."

"We will," Luke squeezed her had reassuringly. "She's not going to talk you out of it."

"I just want her to be happy about this," she sighed.

"She will be."

Lorelai nodded, but he could tell she wasn't convinced.

"She will," he repeated. "We're going to get married and she's going to be happy and we're going to be happy."

"When did you turn into 'Happy, Happy Smile Man'?" Lorelai frowned at him. "I'm supposed to be the chipper one."

"You weren't holding up your role, so I figured I should pick up the slack," he shrugged. "One of us has to be in charge of moral."

"You're a good man, Luke Danes," she smiled over at him. "What would I ever do without you?"

"Thankfully we're never going to have to find out."

Once they were in the city he had a bit of trouble remembering how to get to Truncheon, but after a few wrong turns he finally found the street. He parked right in front of the building and got out, rounding the car and pulling Lorelai out onto the sidewalk.

"What if she hates us?" She asked, staring up at the building in concern.

"Why would she hate us? Doesn't she want us to get married?"

"Of course."

"Then she won't hate us," Luke promised.

"She might," Lorelai frowned. "If nothing else she might hate the fact that it's 4 in the morning."

"Is it really that early?" Luke asked, looking at his watch. "Huh. Well, maybe she'll be too tired to be mad at you. Come on."

"Nobody is going to be up," Lorelai reasoned. "We won't be able to get in."

"Jess said the back door is broken. Stop stalling."

"We can't break in! They'll call the cops on us!"

"They're not going to call the cops!" Luke sighed exasperatedly.

"They might! Or their roommates might. They don't know us!"

"They do so!" Luke cried. "We met them at the Open House, and you met them when you went to Atlantic City. Come on."

Before she could think of another argument, he pulled her around the back of the building and inside.

"Luke-"

"No," he shook his head.

"But-"

"Nope."

"Hey-"

"You're going to wake everyone up. Be quiet."

Lorelai snapped her mouth shut in annoyance and frowned at the man in front of her. When he stopped in front of Jess and Rory's door, Lorelai had the sudden urge to make a run for it, but Luke held her hand tightly and knocked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It felt like an eternity before Jess stumbled to the door, grumbling about what time it was.

"Luke?" His tone quickly changing from anger to confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Just stopping by for a visit," Luke shrugged, looking over his nephew's shoulder. "Where's Rory?"

"Sleeping," Jess rubbed his hand over is face in an attempt to wake himself up. "Uh, I'll go get her. Come on in."

He held the door open to let them through.

"I'll make some coffee," Luke offered.

Jess nodded and pointed to the cupboard they kept the coffee in. "I'll go wake up Rory."

While Luke filled the coffee pot, Jess trudged back into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed.

"Rory," he shoved her shoulder gently.

"Early," she grumbled. "Go away."

"Luke's here. And your mom."

She mumbled something into her pillow, obviously not paying attention to what he was saying, but Jess assumed she was asking why.

"I don't know. Why don't you get up and find out."

"Find out what?"

"Why Luke and Lorelai are here," Jess repeated.

"What?" She finally rolled over to look at him.

"Your mom is in our living room with my uncle," Jess spoke slowly. "Why don't you get up and find out why."

Rory frowned at him for a minute, then reached for her phone, which was sitting on her night table. "It's four in the morning," she frowned.

"I know that."

"Why is my mom here at four in the morning?"

"For the third time,I don't know. Why don't we go find out?"

"Fine." Rory stretched, rolled off the bed and started heading for the door.

"Ror!"

"What?"

"Maybe put some pants on first," he smirked.

"Right!" She nodded, looking down and realizing she was only wearing a Metallica shirt. "Pants would be good."

"Yep," Jess agreed. "We don't need Luke having a heart attack."

Rory shrugged in agreement and grabbed a pair of shorts off the floor before following Jess back into the living room.

"Mom," she hurried over to the older woman, still trying to wake herself up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lorelai pulled her into a hug. "Sorry, nothing's wrong. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Coffee?" Luke appeared carrying two mugs.

"Thanks," Rory accepted the mug and took a sip. "What's going on, then? What are you doing here?"

"Well," Lorelai looked at Luke nervously and he gave her a reassuring nod. "We're getting married."

"You woke me up at four in the morning to tell me _that_?" Rory demanded. "That's not exactly news. You've been engaged for months."

"No, we're getting married now." her mom explained. "Well, not _right now_ obviously, but today."

"Wait, what?"

"We're eloping,"

"When did you decide this?"

"Last night," Lorelai smiled. "Or tonight, or whatever, a couple hours ago. We were on our way to Maryland and then I realized that we couldn't get married without you, so we came straight here."

"You were going to get married without me?" Rory frowned.

"Only for, like, an hour. Then the immediate adrenaline wore off and we came straight here because it's not a wedding without you," Lorelai spoke quickly, her tone desperate.

"And you want to get married now, at four in the morning?" Rory tried to piece together what her mother was saying.

"Well, not right now, but today," Luke nodded. "Unless you know of somewhere that marries people at four in the morning around here."

"Although, if you do off the top of your head, I really don't think I want to know," Lorelai added nervously.

There was a long silence as Rory took in this information, looking between her mother and future step-father, before finally smiling.

"We're going to need more coffee," she said. "We have a lot of planning to do."

Lorelai beamed and flew across the room, pulling her daughter into an oxygen depriving hug.

"I'm getting married!"

"You're getting married!" Rory squealed and hopped around a little, doing some sort of strange celebration dance with her mother before getting down to business. "Okay, do you have a dress?"

"I brought the white one with the black trim and the twirly skirt."

"Oh, I love that one!"

"I know, you've been trying to steal it for years. Do _you_ have a dress?"

"I'm sure I could find something in all these boxes," Rory shrugged. "But I think your wedding deserves something new- or at least something from the thrift store."

"I couldn't agree more," Lorelai beamed and turned to Luke. "And you could do with a suit jacket."

"Excuse me?"

"Not a whole suit!" she promised. "Just a jacket, or a blazer."

"Fine," Luke grumbled.

"Wait, does that mean I need one too?" Jess frowned.

"You already have one," Rory pointed out. "More than one, actually."

"Right," Jess nodded.

While Luke and Lorelai argued over what they considered suitable attire for eloping, Rory found a notebook and pen and started making a list.

"I'm hungry," she suddenly announced, looking over at Jess.

"So get something to eat."

"We don't have anything," she groaned.

"What are you talking about?" Jess demanded. "We've got cereal, we've got Poptarts, we've got something that you seem to think is edible in the freezer."

"They're called Eggos," Rory informed him. "And they're delicious, but I'm pretty sure the ones in the freezer expired before you moved here."

"Oh please," he rolled his eyes. "They're not that old! And there's nothing open this early, so they're gonna have to do for now. We can go down the street in a couple hours if you want, though."

"Fine," Rory got to her feet and pulled out the box of Poptarts, emptying the entire box onto a plate and carrying it back into the living room.

"A morning snack," she announced. "To help us think. Now, what else do we need?"

Rory and Lorelai spent the next few hours planning the day while Jess and Luke did their best to stay out of the way, until 7 finally came around and they made their way to the diner down the street.

After breakfast, Rory and Lorelai went to find a dress while Luke and Jess went to buy a suit jacket.

"What about this?" Lorelai held up a simple red dress. "It's cute."

"There's a stain on the front."

They were sifting through the racks in one of the thrift stores Rory had found when she first moved in with Jess, needing to replace everything she had left in her grandmother's house.

"Damn," Lorelai frowned and replaced the dress.

"What about this?" Rory pulled out a short black and blue dress, with a skirt that would fly out if she spun in circles.

"That's cute!" Lorelai nodded. "Try it on!"

Rory nodded and disappeared behind a changing curtain while Lorelai browsed nearby.

"Hey, are you going to get flowers?" Rory asked.

"Maybe, if I can find some that I like."

"There's a florist around the corner. We could stop there." She stepped out from behind the curtain and spun around. "Well, what do you think?"

"Oh, it looks great!" Lorelai beamed at her. "I definitely think that's the one."

"Really?" Rory moved to the closest mirror and looked at her reflection.

"Definitely," her mother nodded. "It's perfect."

"Well, if the bride says."

"She does. Now hurry up and get changed so we can buy it and get out of here," Lorelai pushed her back towards the curtain. "We have a wedding to get to."

"Alright, alright. No need to push," Rory frowned.

Fifteen minutes later they were strolling down the street arm in arm, looking for coffee and a florist.

"Are you sure it's here?" Lorelai asked skeptically. "We've been walking forever."

"It's been two minutes," Rory scoffed. "It's right around the corner."

"I think we're lost."

"We're not lost!"

"We're lost," Lorelai cried dramatically. "We've gone off the beaten path, never to be found again. I wonder how long Luke will wait until he finds a new woman to marry."

"We're here," Rory huffed. "So I'm going to get a coffee, but you feel free to stand here and reminisce about the good like an elderly woman with dementia."

"You're crabby," Lorelai frowned.

"Well my insane mother woke me up at the crack of dawn," Rory explained.

"Technically it was your boyfriend that woke you up," Lorelai pointed out. "I sat in the other room and patiently waited for you to emerge."

"Whatever."

Lorelai crossed her arms and followed her daughter into the coffee shop, muttering about what an ungrateful child she was while she ordered.

The florist that Rory had mentioned was a couple doors down, so after they were sufficiently caffeinated the girls went to browse, emerging twenty minutes later with two bundles of daisies.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It wasn't until they were driving back to the house that Rory finally started to question what her mother was doing.

"Okay, don't take this the wrong way," she started. "But are you sure about this wedding? I mean, I want you to get married, more than anything, but don't you maybe want to wait?"

"No," Lorelai shook her head immediately.

"But, don't you want to have some other people there?" Rory reasoned. "You know, like Sookie or Grandma?"

"No!"

"Okay, maybe not Grandma, but Sookie? Michel?"

"Rory, I need to do this now," Lorelai turned and met her eyes.

"But why? Why not wait until next weekend even? We could do it in town and everybody would be there."

"Rory, no!" Lorelai snapped, startling her daughter. She took a deep breath and tried to form a coherent explanation.

"Okay, last night at dinner, your dad was there," she explained. "And Mom and Dad were trying to set him up with this therapist."

"Because he needs help?" Rory frowned.

"No, on a date. Although it probably wouldn't be too terrible if he did go to therapy," Lorelai mused. "That's not the point though, the point is that I somehow ended up in the back of this woman's car at the end of the night, telling her everything about my life like I was a complete nutcase."

"Are we forgetting that I had to go to therapy for a month because I freaked out in my first session?" Rory countered. "One backseat freak out does not a nutcase make."

"Either way," her mother smiled. "I was sitting in the back of the car and telling her how unhappy I was with my life and how I hated myself all the time and my wedding dress was hanging in my closet mocking me. And she said some things that made me realize how unhappy I was and how much I need this, and I just can't wait anymore. I do wish I had Sookie and Michel here, but I really only need you. And I need to do this. I can't be on the outside anymore, I need Luke and me to be _us_ again. I need this, Rory."

Something in her mother's tine seemed to convince her and Rory nodded.

"Okay," she reached over and took her mother's hand. "As long as you're sure."

"The only thing I have ever been more sure of is you and me," Lorelai promised her. "This is the right thing."

"Okay," Rory repeated. "Let's go have a wedding then."

When they walked into Truncheon a few minutes later Jess was in the middle of a meeting with Benji, who was pacing the store and gesticulating wildly.

"Why don't you go upstairs," Rory whispered to her mother.

"What are you going to do?" Lorelai frowned.

"Try and calm the savage beast."

"Have fun with that," Lorelai nodded and left her daughter to deal with the crazed artistes.

"Hey guys," Rory interrupted nervously. "What's going on?"

"Jess hates my book!" Benji cried. "Hates it!"

"I don't hate it," Jess huffed. "I edited it. It's my job!"

"That's not editing, that's rewriting!" Benji waved at the manuscript that was sitting on the desk between them. "It's covered in red pen and notes."

"Well, that's what editing looks like!"

"This is the best work I've ever done, and he wants to shred it!" Benji turned to Rory , almost in tears.

"I didn't say that!" Jess threw his hands up in frustration.

"You said it was rambling."

"It is!"

"It's genius!"

"It's nonsense! Benji, I don't know how high you were when you wrote it, but you're not Aldous Huxley. This isn't some meaningful, artistic take on the effects of heroine on the mind, it's confusing ramblings about Taco Bell!"

Rory bit her cheek to keep from laughing and picked up the manuscript, skimming through Jess's notes.

"Benji, I have to agree with Jess here," she finally admitted. "This doesn't make any sense."

"You're just not reading it properly!" Benji cried. "You don't understand. It's over your head."

"Okay," Rory took a deep breath. "I may not be the next Huxley either, but I have a pretty broad mind. And I have edited a lot of newspaper articles written by freshman who didn't know what they were doing. I have to say, this is exactly the same as those. I don't care how high your IQ is, this is nonsense."

Benji stomped back and forth across the room, breathing heavily and shaking with anger- and possibly withdrawal. Rory looked at Jess, who was watching the author with concern, then joined him on the other side of the desk. It wasn't unheard of for Benji to get violent, and Rory wanted as much space between them as possible if he blew up.

Instead of charging them, however, he marched to the desk, grabbed his book and stormed out of the building, slamming the door behind him and screaming loudly on the front steps.

"Well, that was interesting," Lorelai piped up from the top of the stairs.

"He always is," Jess ran a hand through his hair. "That's the problem with geniuses."

"He'll be fine in a couple days," Rory rolled her eyes. "You weren't wrong about that book, though. From what I read, it really was nothing but psychotic ramblings."

"Was it really about Taco Bell?" Lorelai asked. "Because that might have been interesting."

"Trust me, it wasn't," Jess shook his head.

"Where's Luke?" Rory asked, looking around.

"Upstairs, watching a baseball game."

"There's baseball in the afternoon?" Lorelai frowned.

"Apparently," Jess shrugged.

"Well, he better not be too attached. It's time to go get married!"

Rory laughed and followed her mother up the stairs, Jess trailing behind them.

"Honey, we're home!" Lorelai sang, opening the apartment door.

"Hey, did you get your dress?" Luke asked, looking up from the TV.

"Yes we did," Rory smiled. "And flowers."

"Now all we need is someone to make it official," Lorelai agreed. "Preferably not dressed like Elvis."

"Really?" Rory asked.

"Not all it's cracked up to be," her mother admitted.

"Why don't you guys go get ready, and we'll figure out where City Hall is," Jess offered.

The girls didn't need to be told twice. They disappeared into the bedroom with their clothes and spent the next hour getting ready, putting on make-up and doing their hair.

"How do I look?" Lorelai asked, spinning around for her daughter.

"Very bridal," Rory assured her.

"Perfect. Let's go get married."

It turned out that City Hall was only a fifteen minute drive from Truncheon, so they piled into Rory's car and made their way over. While Luke and Lorelai filled out paperwork and acquired a marriage licence, Rory and Jess sat on the steps outside the building, drinking coffee.

"Okay," Lorelai finally came back out to get them. "We're all legal and ready, we're just waiting our turn. Come on."

They followed her back into the building and down a couple hallways until they came to what looked like a courtroom.

"Do you have any parking tickets you want to contest while we're here?" Lorelai asked. "Because the judge does that too."

"I think we're good," Rory shook her head.

They sat down on a bench outside the room and waited for the court clerk to call their case number. Rory couldn't help but notice how Luke fidgeted nervously, tapping his hands against his leg. It was cute how nervous he was, despite the fact that it was just the four of them.

"Case number 9587," a woman appeared in the doorway.

"That's us!" Lorelai jumped to her feet, pulling Luke with her.

They crowded into the small room and handed the judge the folder they had been given earlier.

"You want to get married?" The judge asked, browsing the papers.

"Yes, Your Honor," Luke nodded.

"And these are your witnesses?" He looked up at Rory and Jess.

"We are," Rory nodded.

"Alright, let's get started then."

The ceremony was even simpler than their first attempt and Lorelai had to admit that she kind of missed the flair of the Elvis impersonator. It was perfect all the same, though.

As they exited the building, Luke and Lorelai holding hands, Rory hummed the Wedding March loudly behind them, throwing flower petals.

"I'm sure the janitorial staff is going to love you," Jess deadpanned.

"Hush, you! We're celebrating!"

They took a couple pictures outside, then went out for an early dinner to celebrate.

"You realize that when you get home the entire town is going to maul you for not inviting them, right?" Rory asked as they left the restaurant.

"I know," Lorelai frowned. "But maybe they'll get over it quickly."

"And maybe Taylor Doose will get married one day," Jess scoffed.

"There's nothing wrong with being optimistic," Lorelai argued.

"And there's a big difference between optimism and surrealism," Luke rolled his eyes. "The nutty town we call home is going to hold this over our heads for months."

"It's only because they love us."

"Exactly," Rory agreed.

When they got back to Truncheon, Luke and Jess loaded the truck back up while Rory and Lorelai sat on the steps and watched, discussing where they were planning to go for their honeymoon.

"I think we'll go stay in a B&B for a couple days," Lorelai shrugged.

"That'll be nice," her daughter nodded. "As long as it's not like the one we stayed in in Boston."

"God, that place was creepy," Lorelai cringed. "We definitely won't be staying anywhere like that!"

"You ready?" Luke suddenly appeared in front of them. "The truck's all packed."

"Right," Lorelai got to her feet and pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Call me when you get home," Rory ordered. "And do not, under any circumstances, give me the gory details!"

"Pfft, like I would!" Her mother scoffed.

"Have fun," Rory rolled her eyes. "And congratulations, again."

"Thanks, Hon. I love you."

"Love you too," she turned and hugged her new step-father. "Bye, Luke."

"Bye, Rory."

"Oh, by the way," Rory stopped them before they climbed into the truck. "I'm going to be taking a bunch of stuff back home tomorrow and dropping it off. So don't be alarmed when you get back and my room is full of boxes."

"Thanks for the warning. I might have thought the boxes were going to kill me in my sleep," Lorelai said sarcastically.

"Okay, you can leave now," Rory frowned. "Bye, we won't miss you!"

"Well then!" Lorelai gasped, then blew her daughter a kiss and closed the door.

"So you're going to go back tomorrow?" Jess asked once they were back upstairs.

"It seems like as good a time as any," Rory shrugged. "You're going to be crawling back into a hole and editing for the next few days anyways."

"I'm not going to crawl into a hole," Jess tried to argue.

"Yes, you are. It's fine, though," she assured him. "I crawl into a hole for finals, you crawl into one to edit. I'll go home, take my stuff and visit with Lane. She got home from her honeymoon today."

"But you'll be back in a couple days?" Jess confirmed.

"Yes," she patted his cheek soothingly. "All my stuff is here now, remember? You're not getting rid of me anytime soon. I'm just giving you some quiet space to finish your book."

"But before that?"

"I'm all yours," she smirked. "And I believe we have some time to make up for."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Rory left early the next morning, after roping the guys into helping her pack her car up again. When she pulled into Stars Hollow, she found most of the town gathered outside the diner. Never one to skip a town gathering, especially one where Taylor seemed to be holding court, she pulled over and joined the group, approaching Miss Patty to find out what was going on.

"Oh, hi honey!" Patty greeted her warmly. "We thought you were going to stay with Jess for the summer!"

"I am," Rory confirmed. "I just needed to drop some stuff off here, there's not a lot of room in his apartment. What's going on?"

"Taylor put in a red light camera," she explained.

"Why?"

"Oh, who knows."

Before Rory could ask anymore questions, Taylor called everyone to attention and explained what was happening.

"Now, we are going to have our ceremonial first lawbreaker, played by Kirk," he finished. "Kirk will drive my classic 1964 Ford Thunderbird down the street, through the red light and the Auto Patrol P.R. 100 will capture him in all his law-breaking glory!"

Up the street, Kirk honked the horn and waved to the crowd, prompting Miss Patty to get to her feet and drop her hanky as a starting flag.

Everyone watched closely as Kirk gunned the engine and headed for the light, waiting to see how the camera would work. As he drove through the light, the camera flashed brightly three times, blinding Kirk and causing him to lose control of the car. They all watched in shock as Kirk jerked the steering wheel a few times before flying over the curb and into the wall of the diner.

Before anyone could really react, Kirk climbed out of the car and waved his arms dramatically.

"I'm okay!" He announced triumphantly. "I'm okay!"

This seemed to jolt everyone out of their various states of shock and send them into action, Lulu and Taylor running towards the car, Rory hot on their heels with her cellphone in hand.

"Oh, Luke really is going to kill him this time!" Patty observed. "Where is he, anyways?"

"He went away for a couple days with my mom." Rory said shortly, putting the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered on the third ring.

"Okay, so do you remember when you begged me to go see 'The Fast and the Furious' with you, and I said no?" Rory asked. "And then you begged me to go see 'The Fast and the Furious 2' with you, and I said no? And _then_ you asked me to go see "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'-"

"Cars, they drift," Lorelai agreed.

"And I was like, 'I said no to 1 and I said no to 2, what do you think happened here, I got a brain transplant or something'?"

"I remember. You were very rude."

"Well I was wrong. I have finally seen the light, and I now understand the awesomeness of cars crashing into things. Which is a long-winded way of telling you that Taylor installed a red-light camera in front of Luke's, and Kirk was supposed to demonstrate how it worked, but he got totally blinded by the flash of the camera. So he ended up crashing Taylor's fancy blue T-Bird- which, by the way, who knew?- into the side of Luke's."

"What!?" Lorelai cried.

"Nobody was hurt or anything, but the smash-up is unbelievable. It went right into the diner and then Kirk gets out of the car and he's all Evil Knievel style, like, 'I'm okay, I'm okay'."

"He crashed _into_ the diner!?" Lorelai repeated, still in shock.

"What!?" Luke cried in the background.

"Yep," Rory confirmed. "I'm standing in front of it right now, looking in through the giant hole where the windows used to be. So, really, this is just a very long way of telling you that it's time to cut the honeymoon short and come home because Luke has a murder or two to commit."

"What do you mean there's a hole!?" Luke demanded.

From the noise on the other end of the line, Rory could tell that he was fighting with her mother over the phone, and obviously won because the next thing she heard was her mother yelling in protest while Luke yelled into the phone.

"Where's Taylor!?" He demanded. "Put him on the phone!"

"Taylor!" Rory called into the diner, scared to step inside. "Luke's on the phone. He wants to talk to you!"

"I'm a little busy," the older man called back.

"PUT HIM ON!" Luke screamed.

Rory held the phone a few inches from her ear, and let Luke scream profanities in Taylor's direction as she picked her way through the hole in the wall and headed for Taylor.

"He's not really taking no for an answer," she shrugged. "Here you go."

She put the phone in his hand and moved around the counter to call Jess from the landline.

"Hello?" He answered almost immediately, obviously confused by the caller ID.

"Okay, so I know you're editing and I told you I was going to give you a day or two of peace, but you will never guess what just happened!"

"What?"

"Kirk just drove Taylor's '64 T-Bird through the diner!"

"Excuse me?"

"I am standing behind the counter, looking at a giant hole in the wall where the window used to be, and instead of tables and chairs, there is a blue car sitting here," Rory explained gleefully.

"A T-Bird?" Jess asked skeptically.

"I know!" Rory laughed. "Who knew, right?"

"Did you tell Luke?"

"Ya. I called him and Mom as soon as it happened, and now he's on the phone screaming at Taylor."

"Do you think this is really going to be the tipping point?" Jess mused.

"I think there is a definite chance. When they get back, we may need to start finding a good lawyer and a place to hide the body."

"God, for such a boring place, there really never is a dull moment in Stars Hollow, is there?"

"Nope," Rory laughed. "Well, I should let you get back to editing and go save Taylor from Luke's wrath, at least for now. I just had to tell you what happened."

"I appreciate that," Jess laughed. "Call me tonight and give me an update."

"Count on it. I love you!"

"You too."

Rory put the receiver back on the wall and picked her way back over to Taylor, who was trying to tell Luke to calm down. Standing over a foot away, Rory could still hear Luke's responses.

"Um, Taylor?" Rory stepped closer. "Could I just borrow that?"

She reached out a plucked the phone from his hand, putting it to her own ear.

"Luke-"

"AND ANOTHER THING!" Luke was screaming. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING LETTING KIRK DRIVE IN THE-"

"LUKE!" Rory interrupted him.

"Oh, Rory. Sorry," Luke sighed.

"It's okay. But there's a car in the middle of the diner, and you guys are a day's drive away. Do you want me to try and handle this?"

"I would really appreciate it," Luke agreed.

"Hey, what are step-daughters for," Rory joked. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Get the damn thing out of the diner!"

"And then what? Because there's a giant hole here that I have no idea how to cover."

Rory could hear her mother saying something in the background, followed by a short, muffled argument before Luke answered.

"Call my sister and ask her to send TJ over to get it covered with a tarp," he sighed. "But watch him! Don't let him do anything other than cover the hole!"

"Got it," Rory agreed. "Anything else?"

"I have no idea," Luke grumbled. "I've never had someone drive a car through my diner! Just, uh, just use your judgement and call if you don't know. And thanks again."

"Just know that I will be expecting my Step-Daughter of the Year award upon your arrival," Rory told him. "I'll call you later with an update."

She hung up and turned to Taylor, who was fretting over his car and yelling at Kirk.

"Okay," she interrupted. "Luke will be back tonight, but until then, I'm in charge."

"Excuse me?" Taylor frowned. "I hardly see what qualifies you to deal with the situation at hand."

"I'm his step-daughter," Rory shrugged. "And apparently the only sane person left in this town. Luke wants the car out."

"You're not his Step-Daughter until he marries your mother," Taylor explained as if she were a child.

"I know that, Taylor." Rory huffed. "They did get married."

"What!?" Kirk, Taylor and Lulu all looked up at her in shock.

"They eloped," she sighed. "But that's not the point here and I'm not talking about it. The point right now is that Luke wants this car out."

"Not until the insurance company has been here," Taylor shook his head. "And you should go and ask Gypsy to come and see what happened to make the car do that."

"You let Kirk drive it," Rory frowned. "What other reason is there?"

"I still want to know what the damages were before anything is moved."

"Fine," Rory huffed. "I'll go get Gypsy."

Gypsy arrived with some tools and a tow truck driver a few minutes later and began to inspect the vehicle while Lulu nursed Kirk back to health in one of the few undamaged chairs and asked Rory about the wedding. Rory made a point of ignoring her, focusing on what Gypsy was doing.

"How's it look?" Taylor questioned the mechanic after a few minutes of tinkering.

"The car is fine," she crawled out from under the vehicle. "It definitely wasn't faulty brakes that caused the accident. Kirk is just an idiot."

"Hey, I resent that!" Kirk cried. "Who was that?"

"What do you want to do?" The tow truck driver turned to Rory. "You want me to pull the car out, or wait for the insurance?"

"I strongly advise waiting for the insurance company," Taylor told her. "Have a little sympathy!"

"You brought this upon yourself," Rory pointed out. "I don't know what could have possessed you to let Kirk drive your car. But I guess it can't hurt to wait for the insurance."

"Great," Taylor beamed and turned back to the driver. "Why don't you come back in an hour or two?"

Rory decided to leave the discussion about towing the car to Taylor and went to see how Kirk was doing.

"How about now?" Lulu was asking.

"Nothing but giant red spots," Kirk shook his head in annoyance. "Damn giant red spots!"

"Kirk, maybe you should go to the hospital," Rory suggested.

"I'll be fine," he waved her off. "If I could just get rid of the giant red spots!"

"Lulu," Rory turned to the crazy man's girlfriend. "Get him to a doctor!"

The poor girl nodded in agreement and helped her boyfriend to his feet.

"Come on," she coaxed. "If you're good, we'll get an ice cream on the way home."

"Chocolate?" Kirk asked.

"Any flavour you want," Lulu assured him.

With Kirk out of the way, Rory ran back out to her car to get a book, then hopped onto the counter to wait for Taylor's insurance guy to show up.

She had to wait for over three hours, the whole time listening to Taylor as he switched between asking about her mother's marriage and moaning about his car.

Once the insurance agent had come and gone, Taylor called for a tow truck again and Rory braved calling Liz.

"Rory!" The woman practically screamed when she announced herself. "How are you!? How's my boy?"

"I'm good, he's good. I'm actually calling for Luke."

"For Luke?" Liz asked. "What's my big brother doing having you call me?"

"Well he's out of town for the day, and I don't know if you've heard, but Kirk drove a car through his diner today and he asked me to call and get TJ to come and tarp the giant hole in the wall," Rory explained.

"Oh no!" Liz cried. "Well I'll send TJ right over to get it patched up."

"It just needs to be covered until Luke gets in," Rory assured her. "Luke said that all it needed was a tarp."

"Got it. I'll pass it on to TJ and he'll be there soon. Hey, while I have you on the phone, you and Jess should come over for dinner some time. I feel like we never see you!"

"Oh, ya," Rory agreed sheepishly. "I'll, uh, mention it to Jess and have him give you a call. Sorry, Liz, I have to go."

She hung up quickly, eager to avoid any further interaction with her boyfriend's mother. She was a perfectly lovely woman, but Rory had no desire to spend time with her outside of the holidays. There's only so much crazy a person can take, and Rory's family and roommates had her pretty much full to bursting.

Thankfully TJ was pretty easy to convince when he got there, sticking to putting up the tarp, then grabbing a couple leftover donuts before heading home again and allowing Rory to finally go home herself. It was almost dinner time when she finally got her stuff into the house and, in lieu of being able to go to Luke's, she had just ordered Chinese when her mother burst through the door.

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin to do!" Lorelai called, wandering into the kitchen.

"Welcome home," Rory laughed. "How was the honeymoon?"

"Short," Lorelai frowned. "Damn Kirk and his idiotic tendencies!"

"I think you can safely blame this one on Taylor," Rory said. "Where's Luke?"

"Inspecting the damages. He'll be home soon." Lorelai's mouth perked up in a smile as she spoke.

"So he's finally moving in," Rory smiled.

"Well I heard married people live together," Lorelai shrugged. "At least, that's what all the movies say. God, I'm starving!"

"I just ordered from Al's. It should be here soon."

"You're such a good provider," Lorelai beamed. "I'm gonna go put my stuff in my room. Call me when there's food."

"Got it."

Rory went into her own room and cleared off the bed so she could sleep later that night, then called Jess to fill him in on the rest of her day.

"What did Luke say?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "He hasn't come back to the house yet."

"Man, I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he saw the diner," Jess sighed. "It would have been a thing of beauty."

"I'm sure," Rory laughed. "How was your day?"

"It was nothing but reading the same sentence over and over again until I drove myself crazy. Nowhere near as exciting as your day."

"Well, we can't all live the glamourous small town life."

"Thank God for that. I'm gonna go get back to work. See you tomorrow?"

"I might stay an extra day, just to see if Luke really does kill Taylor."

"Alright. Good night."

"Night."

As they said their goodbyes the doorbell rang, and Rory went to collect the food.

"Mom! Al's!" She called up the stairs, setting the food on the coffee table and turning on the TV. As luck would have it, the movie channel was playing a Katherine Hepburn marathon and they were just in time for one of her all time favourites, 'Bringing Up Baby'.

"Thank God, sustenance!" Lorelai dropped onto the couch and grabbed the container closest to her. "So, what happened today?"

"Well, I sat in the diner for 6 hours and watched Taylor cry over his car," Rory shrugged. "And then I came home and ordered food."

"Please, _please_ tell me you have pictures of Taylor sobbing like a baby," Lorelai pleaded.

"Sorry," her daughter frowned and shook her head. "But it was as entertaining as you would imagine it to be, at least for the first hour. After that it just turned into really annoying white noise. Oh, I also may have let it slip that you guys got married."

"Rory!"

"I'm sorry!" She apologized. "Taylor was being stupid and I said I was Luke's step-daughter so I could absolutely tell him what to do with the car in the middle of the diner and it just kind of slipped out."

"Well at least the cats out of the bag," Lorelai huffed. "Now we just have to listen to the constant questioning."

"So in the grand scheme of things, I actually helped," Rory pointed out. "I'm glad you understand."

Her mother rolled her eyes and changed the subject.

"And how was TJ?"

"He was happy to help," Rory shrugged. "No argument about fixing the wall then and there, he just came and put up the tarp, then stole some donuts and went home."

"Weird," Lorelai frowned. "Think he's up to something?"

"I really don't," Rory shook her head. "Liz, however, invited Jess and I for dinner."

"What did you say?" Lorelai asked, smiling giddily.

"That I would tell Jess to call her."

"It must be nice having a boyfriend that avoids his family as much as you do," Lorelai mused.

"Well you married into that family," Rory pointed out.

"Yes, but I married the one that has a sense of family duty. Any one of those crazies says 'jump' and he's ready. You've got the one that hides from phone calls and changes his name when necessary."

Before Rory could argue this point, Luke walked in, grumbling under his breath.

"Hey, Luke!" Rory called. "There's food in here!"

"Stupid... psychotic... crazy old bat," Luke muttered as he walked in.

"Has he been doing that all day?" Rory asked her mother, who nodded gravely.

"I don't think he's actually used full sentences since we got off the phone with you," she admitted. "Hey, Hon? There's food, if you want some."

"I can't believe him!" The man cried, ignoring their offers. "He just drove the thing straight through the wall! It's a miracle he didn't bring the entire damn building down!"

"He only took out the windows," Rory offered. "The probability of the whole thing coming down was pretty low."

"I mean, he doesn't even think!" Luke ignored her again. "He just does whatever pops into his head, to hell with what anyone else wants!"

"Uh-huh," Lorelai nodded and held up a container. "Egg roll?"

"And is he going to pay for the damages? Of course not! I am going to kill him!"

"Then you'll need sustenance," Lorelai pointed out. "Sit down and eat something."

"I'm too angry to eat!" Luke cried.

"No you're not," Lorelai shook her head. "Sit down and watch the movie."

Luke huffed and dropped onto the couch beside his wife, accepting the container of chicken she handed him and turning to Rory. "How did everything go today? Did you have any problems?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "I just sat around and waited for the insurance guy to come, then called Liz and TJ and watched while he put the tarp up."

"Thanks again for doing that."

"Anytime," Rory smiled. "Like I said, I'll be expecting my trophy at your earliest convenience. I would also be willing to accept a very large medal, and/or cash bonus."

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke chuckled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

When Rory woke up the next morning, she found her mother hovering outside her door with a cup of coffee and a creepy smile on her face.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked, taking the coffee.

"I love you Rory," her mother said, her voice raspy and stalkerish.

"Creepy," Rory chuckled, then heard the toaster pop. "Ooh, waffles!"

"Yes. I got up early this morning and I thought 'what better way to pass the time than to make some of my famous homemade waffles?'" Her mother explained, putting the Eggos on a plate.

"I can't believe I forgot about you homemade waffles, seeing how famous they are."

"Infamous, really."

"So why are you up so early?" Rory asked, putting chocolate chips on her breakfast.

"Luke got up early to go get the stuff to put the diner back together and he woke me up with all his cursing and grumbling," Lorelai explained. "And then I couldn't get back to sleep. So, initially, I was at a loss. I didn't know how to pass the time until my one and only offspring, the fruit of my loins..."

"Too early," Rory shook her head.

"Loin fruit that she is," Lorelai continued, ignoring her daughter. "Straggled out of bed to grace me with her presence. But then I asked myself, 'W.W.T.B.F.C.D?' And it came to me in a flash, 'I'm gonna make waffles!'"

Rory pondered this statement for a minute, pausing in her waffle prep with the chocolate sauce in one hand and syrup in the other.

"What would the Barefoot Contessa do," she translated.

"Exactly."

"Barefoot's one word," Rory pointed out.

"Shut up loin fruit!" Lorelai scolded. "So what are your plans today?"

"I was going to go visit Lane, since she's finally back from her honeymoon and then I'm going to decide whether or not I want to drive back to Philly tonight or tomorrow."

"I vote for tomorrow."

"Shocker," Rory rolled her eyes. "What about you? What are you up to?"

"Well, I was thinking I would be a grown-up and go to work," she shrugged. "But there's still a chance I'll hit a detour on the way in and go looking for The Bangles instead."

"Sounds fun."

"I thought so," Lorelai nodded and looked at the clock. "Crap, I gotta get going. Will you be home later?"

"I'll stop by the Inn if I won't be," Rory promised. "See you later. Have fun talking to Sookie!"

As her mother flew out the door, Rory could have sworn she heard her cursing at the thought of having to tell her best friend she'd gotten married and laughed to herself.

After finishing her waffles, Rory got dressed and headed into town to visit Lane, running into Zach as she approached the house.

"Hey, how was Mexico?"

"Full of parasites," he frowned. "I got sick on like the third day, and now Lane's got it."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Ya, plus Pedro's Paradise was NOT paradise! It was a room in some guy's apartment and it took two buses to get to the beach!"

"I'm sorry it was so sucky," Rory frowned.

"Thanks. Lane's inside. I'm going to get some more saltines, which is all we've been eating since we left."

They parted ways, Rory letting herself into the house and Zach heading for the market.

"Hola, Rory!" Brian greeted her as she walked in, balancing a giant sombrero on his head as he played video games.

"Hey, Brian," Rory greeted him quickly and headed straight to Lane's room. "Hey, sicko! Welcome home!"

"Thanks," Lane smiled and reached up to hug her friend.

"I hear that Pedro's Paradise wasn't too paradise-y," Rory frowned as she sat down on the bed.

"Mexico sucked," Lane confirmed.

"But guess who I heard it from? Your husband! Can we not squeal about that?"

"I don't really want to squeal, but you go right ahead."

"Oh, of course you don't feel like squealing. You're sick," Rory frowned.

"I actually feel okay right now," Lane admitted. "My aversion to squealing is more emotional than physical."

"I'm sorry your honeymoon was such a bummer," Rory pouted.

"On the fourth day, Zach got so paranoid that Pedro and his friends were talking lasciviously about me in code that he lunged at Pedro," Lane told her. "Leapt at him from behind the door. Luckily, Zach was so weak from parasites that he missed and just flopped to the kitchen floor like a pancake someone threw across the room."

"People throw pancakes?" Rory asked.

"I just stared at him, lying on the floor and thought, 'I just married _that_ man.'"

"And you didn't squeal for joy?" Rory joked.

"Nope," Lane got up and retrieved a bottle of antacids. "I went into the other room and stared at Pedro's poster of Spuds McKenzie hanging 20 and ate my twelfth saltine of the day."

"The whole trip sounds kind of rough," Rory sympathized.

"You have no idea. What I just told you are the highlights compared to the real stuff," Lane frowned.

"What?"

"We can't talk here," Lane looked around shiftily. "The walls have ears."

"And giant sombreros," Rory agreed.

"And big mouths. Let's go for a walk."

"You're sick though. You should rest and take care of yourself!"

"I'm feeling alright right now," Lane assured her. "Besides, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and if I start to puke in public, you could just pretend we were partying too hard."

"Which would do wonders for my rep," Rory nodded in solidarity. "Alright Mrs. Van Gerbig, let's blow this popsicle stand."

They snuck past Brian and made their way over to the gazebo, passing Kirk's new 'restaurant' just as Luke started yelling at him for the third time that morning, and took a seat on a bench.

"Alright, let's have it," Rory prompted.

"Well, now I know."

"Know what?"

"That it's bad. It's terrible." She looked at the confused look on Rory's face and expanded. "Sex."

"Oh," Rory caught up. "Oh, no. Sex was bad?"

"You can drop the act, Rory. It's okay," Lane snorted. "I've known the real deal about Santa Claus for years and now I know about sex."

"Lane," Rory tried to interrupt, but her friend was on a roll.

"You know what's funny? I really thought my mother was being an insane prude when she said that sex was horrible for women. But now I can see that, in fact, my mother was the only woman who wasn't willing to maintain the ridiculous, pervasive, media-supported charade."

"What ridiculous, pervasive media-supported charade?" Rory asked, still confused.

"That sex is normal," Lane cried. "That sex is a wonderful part of life. That sex is _sexy_. I mean, can't we just admit it, it's not sexy. Sex is horrible!"

"It doesn't have to be horrible," Rory assured her.

"In a way, I'm impressed with the depth of the conspiracy," Lane ignored her. "If you think about it, it says something about the potential power of women that the entire gender could collude in creating the 'sex is sexy' myth."

"So sex with Zach was bad?" Rory asked.

"Unbelievably bad!" Lane cried.

"Every time?"

"Yeah, right," Lane chuckled sarcastically. "Every time."

"You only did it once?"

"That's right, and I'm out," Lane assured her.

"Well the first time can be weird," Rory tried to reason. "My first time definitely had it's weird aspects, but it gets better. It gets good."

"Um, sorry, I just don't believe you." Lane shrugged and got up, moving over to the railing and watching Luke and Kirk fight.

"Um... okay," Rory followed her. "You have to walk me through what happened. I mean, not graphically, but help me out here."

"Okay," Lane turned to her. "So we decided that for our first time, since it was such a big deal and everything since we've been waiting and waiting and God, if I'd known what it was going to be like I would have gladly kept waiting. But, anyways, we decided to recreate the scene in 'From Here to Eternity.'"

"Wow," Rory nodded appreciatively. "Sex on the beach. Ambitious."

"The whole thing was a disaster," Lane assured her. "Because you know what they don't tell you in the movies? That sand, is basically dirt. It was dirty. It was cold. My hands were shaking and I was trying to remember stuff about condoms and bananas. And then, suddenly, I realize we've got crabs- live ones that are scuttling all over us and Zach starts freaking out because he's afraid of shellfish. And it's getting colder and dirtier, and at some point some pervert with a snorkel mask appeared out of nowhere. And I'm thinking, 'we took three buses from Pedro's apartment for this.'"

"Oh, Lane," Rory put a comforting hand on her friends arm.

"Yeah," Lane sighed. "Just talking about it makes me queasy."

"Well, you're sick," Rory pointed out. "You have a parasite. But, okay. Once you feel better, you should try sex again. Indoors, in a bed."

"I'm open to the idea of a sexless marriage," Lane argued. "I mean, it happens for some people eventually. Why wait?"

"Try a bed first," Rory insisted. "Seriously. You would not believe what a comforter can do in this kind of situation."

"Fine," Lane huffed. "But if it doesn't get any better-"

"You can blame me," Rory promised.

"Good. So, what's new in your life? How's Jess?"

"Jess is good. He's finishing up his new book, so I'm giving him a couple more days alone before I head to Philly for the summer."

"What's the new book about?" Lane asked.

"I have no idea," Rory shrugged. "He won't let me read it until it's actually done."

"Bummer," Lane frowned.

"Tell me about it. Um, oh, Mom and Luke got married."

"What!?" Lane demanded. "When?!"

"A couple days ago. They came to Philly and eloped."

"Okay, that's the kind of thing you tell your best friend immediately! Give me all the gory details!"

They sat on the gazebo steps and Rory filled Lane in on what had happened, from Luke and Lorelai's four a.m. arrival, to Kirk crashing into the diner and cutting their honeymoon short.

"So, yeah. That's everything that's new with me," Rory shrugged when she had finished the story.

"That's a lot," Lane scoffed. "You've got a new step-father."

"It doesn't really feel new," she shook her head. "I mean, Luke has been more like a father to me than my actual dad for years now. The only thing that's changed is that now there's official papers to confirm what we already knew."

"I guess," Lane agreed. "It's still pretty exciting. Tell Lorelai 'congratulations' for me."

"I will," Rory promised.

"Well, I should probably go home and rest again," Lane got to her feet. "I'm starting to feel a little queasy again."

"Okay," Rory got up and hugged her. "Feel better Tell me what the doctor says tomorrow."

"I will. See you!"

The girls parted ways, Lane heading back to her house and Rory heading for the diner to see how Luke was doing.

"Hey, Rory!" He smiled brightly at her as she approached.

"Hey, Luke. Hi TJ," Rory nodded to each of them. "How's it going?"

"It's going," Luke huffed.

"What are you talking about? It's going great!" TJ scoffed. "We're halfway there! We keep this up and you'll be open again in no time!"

"Right," Luke rolled his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I was just visiting with Lane," Rory told him. "And I think I'm going to head back to Philly, so I wanted to say bye before I left."

"Okay, well, say hi to Jess for me."

"I will. Good luck with all this," she waved around vaguely.

"Thanks. Drive safe."

Leaving Luke and TJ to get back to their work, she headed to the Inn to say bye to her mother.

"Hey!" Lorelai beamed as she walked in. "How was Lane?"

"She's okay," Rory shrugged. "She got a parasite in Mexico, but other than that she's good. She says congratulations, by the way."

"That's nice of her."

"What did Sookie say?"

"She screamed in excitement and then lectured me about not inviting her for five minutes, and then she started cooking to celebrate."

"So just as expected," Rory nodded.

"Exactly. So what are you doing here? You heading back to Philly?"

"I think so," she frowned.

"You miss James Dean?"

"So much! We've just spent way too much time doing the stupid long distance thing."

"Understandable," Lorelai nodded.

"And besides, you and Luke should have the house to yourself. I don't want to invade on your honeymoon dirtiness."

"We can keep our dirtiness to ourselves," Lorelai assured her.

"Sorry, I just don't believe you," Rory wrinkled her nose.

"Alright," Lorelai sighed dramatically. "I'll see you soon?"

"I'll be back for Friday Night Dinner when Grandma and Grandpa get back," Rory offered. "But before that, I think we're going to have to stick to phone calls."

"Fine," Lorelai pulled her daughter into a hug.

With a promise to call when she got back and a final hug, Rory left her mother to her work and got back on the road, heading home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Rory!" Cynthia greeted her when she entered the store. "You're back!"

"Hey," Rory smiled at the girl. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Glad that finals are over."

"Tell me about it," Rory laughed. "How'd you do?"

"Pretty good, I think," Cynthia shrugged. "How about you?"

"The same," Rory nodded and looked around the empty store. "Where is everybody?"

"Matt and Chris are in a meeting with a lawyer about the papers for the bar and Jess is upstairs taking a final pass at the book before Chris edits it and sends it to the press."

"What about the Angie and Mike?" Rory asked, referring to the two employees the boys had taken on.

"They have the day off," Cynthia shrugged. "I don't really know why, but it's been pretty slow so it doesn't really matter."

"Okay, well do you need some help? I don't want to disturb Jess if he's editing."

"I was just doing some shelving," Cynthia shrugged. "But feel free to grab a box."

She waved to the pile of boxes that had come in the day before, full of all their latest products. Happy to help, Rory put her bag behind the counter and grabbed the first box she came to.

They were almost finished when Jess wandered downstairs, the final draft of his book in hand.

"Hey Cynthia is- Rory?" He stopped when he saw her. "When did you get back?"

"Couple hours ago," she shrugged. "I didn't want to disturb you, though. Cynthia said you were doing one last read through."

"You could have come up," Jess kissed her.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time. Is it done?"

"For now," he nodded.

"Can I read it?" Rory reached for the papers, but he held them out of her reach.

"Not yet."

"Come on!" She cried. "You said I could be the first to read it!"

"When it was done," he clarified. "It's not done until Chris tells me how terrible it is."

"Don't be so dramatic," Cynthia scoffed. "You're the only one who declares things to be crap. Chris loves almost everything you write."

"Key word, _almost._ " Jess pointed out. "He might not like it."

"Whatever," Cynthia rolled her eyes.

While Jess argued with Cynthia, Rory made another attempt to steal the papers he held, but Jess wasn't falling for the distraction, holding the file behind his back.

"I said 'no'," he frowned at his girlfriend.

"You're a killjoy," Rory sulked.

"Oh well," he shrugged. "Where's Chris?"

"Still at that meeting," Cynthia said. "You know, the one you were supposed to go to, but didn't because you were hiding in your apartment like a teenage girl with a bad haircut."

"What crawled up your butt this morning?" Jess demanded. "You're in a mood."

"No, I just like making fun of you," she smirked. "You _are_ supposed to be in that meeting, though."

"They don't need me there," he waved her off. "They can make important decisions just as well as I can, and I trust them to make the right one. When they get back they'll tell me all about it."

"How very mature of you," Rory mocked.

"Are you making fun of me?" Jess turned to his girlfriend.

"Of course not, Sweetie." She patted his cheek lovingly, still laughing. "I think it's adorable how grown up you're being."

"Whatever. I'm going to go and do some work, you two feel free to keep mocking me, though."

He turned and headed for his desk, opening the top drawer and dropping his book inside.

"You might want to check out your desk too, actually," Cynthia turned to Rory. "I forgot to mention it before, but there seems to be a very large pile of crap on it."

"Thanks," Rory looked over at the pile and frowned. "Gotta love finals hibernation."

"That's why I just work in the store every once in a while," Cynthia laughed. "It's way easier waitressing than it is to sift through all that."

"If only you'd told me that sooner," Rory sighed and dropped the books she was holding back in their box before trudging over to her desk and sitting down. "Okay, half of this isn't even mine!"

"Yeah, we kind of started using your desk as the dumping ground a couple weeks ago," Jess shrugged.

"Gee, thanks." Rory rolled her eyes and started making piles: her stuff, trash, and stuff that the guys were trying to pass off to her in the hopes that she wouldn't notice. She had just finished sorting everything out when Chris and Matt returned, laughing about something they had seen on the walk home.

"Rory!" They cried in unison when they saw her. "You're back!"

"I am," she nodded. "So you can stop using my desk as a dumping ground now and do your own work."

"Damn!" Chris cursed. "She figured it out."

"Of course I figured it out!" she cried. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"We know," Matt promised. "We just thought you would take pity on us and pick up your useless boyfriend's slack."

"Not a chance. Get your crap off my desk." She waved to the piles she had sorted everything into, then got to her feet. "I need coffee. Where did the machine go?"

"It's broken," Cynthia joined them.

"Excuse me?"

"There was a mishap involving a box of Zines and a hangover," Matt explained vaguely. "We sent it out to get it fixed."

"And until then?" Rory demanded.

"You have an apartment," Chris shrugged.

"Four stories up," Rory argued. "I need coffee now. Have you not learned this yet?"

"How about we all go up to the apartment and discuss the meeting you just had?" Jess suggested.

"Smashing idea!" Matt jumped up. "Cynthia, dear, hold the fort down."

"Not a problem," the girl nodded. "Bring me a cup of coffee though."

"Your wish is my command," Mat bowed dramatically.

"If only that were true," Cynthia sighed.

Leaving her downstairs, the four of them trudged up to Jess and Rory's apartment to have coffee and discuss the contracts for the bar.

"So basically," Matt summed up the meeting after an in-depth recounting. "We need to pay half right away, and the rest goes into the mortgage."

"And most of the employees are planning to stay on when we take over," Chris added. "So we don't have to worry about re-staffing at first."

"So basically it's just a matter of writing a cheque?" Rory confirmed.

"Pretty much. And going and signing all the papers," Matt agreed. "Which we have an appointment to do next week."

"So we're really doing this," Jess nodded. "No more putting it off, no chance to back out."

"Do you want to back out?" Matt asked nervously.

"No," Jess shook his head vehemently. "It's just strange. I mean, we've been talking about this for months. It just never seemed like it was going to happen."

"Well it did," Chris shrugged. "And now we must pay the piper."

"Literally," Matt frowned. "I made an appointment with the bank next week to get everything worked out, the day before our next meeting with the lawyer. You'll be there, right?"

"Seeing as you can't do anything without my signature, yeah," Jess nodded. "I'll be there."

"Great. Well, now that that's settled, I'm going to take Cynthia her coffee."

"I'm gonna go get some of the work I tried to pawn off done," Chris got up to follow his partner downstairs.

"That sounds like a great idea," Rory nodded approvingly. "While you're at it, why don't you deal with the expense reports you tried to hide on my desk too."

"You saw those?"

"You know you can't just stick something in the bottom of a pile of really bad poetry and think it's going to disappear," she pointed out.

"It always worked before," he shrugged.

"How have you not gone out of business yet?"

"We really have no idea," Jess frowned. "Good luck and clean living, I guess."

"Or one of you really did sell your soul to the devil to keep this place going," Rory countered.

"Also a possibility," Chris agreed. "Either way, we're still here and that's what matters."

"Well you won't be if you don't deal with the crap on my desk," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah," Chris waved her off. "I'll get it done."

He strolled out of the apartment, stealing a box of Poptarts off the counter as he went.

"That better not have been the last box," Rory turned to Jess.

"There's another one in the cupboard," he promised. "So, what happened with the diner? Did Luke kill Taylor?"

"No, but I think Kirk is on his last nerve," she laughed. "He's opened his own diner in the middle of the square and calling it Kirk's."

"Oh man! I can't believe I'm missing that!" Jess cried.

"It was great," Rory assured him. "I'm pretty sure I saw him offer Luke a job there at one point this morning."

"I bet Luke took that well."

"Oh yeah, he crumpled the application up and chucked it at Kirk's head, then stormed back across the street and went back to work on the diner with TJ."

"He's getting TJ to help?"

"Yes, because apparently TJ still thinks he's a contractor."

"You know, it would be adorable how naive that man is if it wasn't so terrifying," Jess mused. "Anything else exciting happen? How was Lane's honeymoon?"

"Sucko," Rory frowned. "They both got sick within the first week, and the hotel Zach booked ended up being the spare room in some guy's apartment."

"Sketchy," Jess frowned.

"Exactly. Lesson learned, don't go to Mexico on your honeymoon."

"I'll make sure to store that information for future use," Jess nodded.

"You planning a honeymoon sometime soon?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"You never know," he shrugged. "Maybe I'll meet a nice girl and finally take the plunge."

"If only all the nice girls weren't taken," Rory sighed. "You might have had a chance."

"Guess I'll just have to stick with what I've got," he frowned. "Maybe she'll go on a honeymoon with me one day."

"Maybe," she smirked. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

When Lane called the next day, Rory was working on a piece for the June zine about the impending death of printed art. She was in the middle of describing the desperate need for people to continue buying books when the phone rang.

"Hello?" She stuck the phone between her chin and shoulder and finished the sentence she was typing.

"Hello?" She repeated when nobody spoke.

"Hi," Lane's morose voice came through the phone.

"Lane?"

"Yep," the girl sighed.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked. "Did you go to the doctor? Do you have a parasite?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"How do you have a parasite in a manner of speaking?" Rory asked, saving her article and putting her laptop on the coffee table.

"I'm pregnant," Lane sighed.

"What?"

"Yep."

"No!" Rory gasped.

"Oh yes," Lane assured her.

"Shut up!"

"I'm pregnant," Lane repeated.

"You're not!"

"I am."

"No," Rory couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes," Lane sighed. "I went to the doctor and he told me. I'm pregnant, with a baby."

"No."

"Yes."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow."

"Oh my God!" Rory cried. "Wow. _Wow_! How did Zach take it?"

"I haven't told him," Lane said. "I haven't told anyone. I came home and sat down on the floor, pregnant. And then I called you."

"You're not," Rory repeated, still unable to believe what she was hearing.

"I am," Lane sighed.

"Really?"

"Really. I guess the combination of salt water and seaweed and discount Mexican condoms and terrible, _terrible_ sex leads to a baby."

"A baby," Rory echoed.

"A baby," Lane confirmed. "Sex sucks! Sex sucks so bad! Sex sucks worse than I thought."

"You only did it one time, and- wow, a baby!"

"That's what you get folks, for making whoopee," Lane cried.

"You're going to be a mother."

"When the doctor told me, I started throwing up," Lane told her.

"Well you had morning sickness," Rory offered.

"This was a different kind of throwing up," Lane explained. "This was the kind of throwing up that you do when you have to do something that you can't do."

"You're going to be a great mother," Rory argued.

"Maybe someday, but not now!" Lane cried. "I have a picture in my head of me as a mother. You know, I can imagine it, and in that picture, I'm wearing a skirt and heels, and my hair is up in a bun. I'm pushing one of those fancy British baby carriages that are called silver surfers or something."

"Very Madonna in her British-mommy phase," Rory observed.

"When I'm a mom, I'll be calm and wise and have my act together. I am not calm and not wise, and I really, _really_ don't have my act together!"

"You don't have to wear heels and push a pram to be a mother," Rory assured her.

"A pram!" Lane cried. "See? I couldn't even remember the word pram. Mothers know the word pram!"

"Mother's don't _have_ to know the word pram."

"Yes, they do!" Lane cried. "They have to know all sorts of things. They have to know what to do when your baby is crying and how to change a diaper and how to use your wrist to test if the bottle is too hot. Why the wrist? I don't know. I have no idea!"

"Um, I think because it's handy," Rory reasoned. "No pun intended. And it's, um, sensitive. Wrists are sensitive."

She had no idea what she was talking about, but it was obvious that Lane needed her to fake it.

"It's just one false move, one misstep, and I'll ruin it," Lane moaned. "I'm still making mistakes, Rory. Example A, I'm pregnant! I can't be making mistakes when I'm a mother. I'm not the person I need to be to be able to do this. I'm not perfect. I'm _so_ not perfect."

"You don't have to be perfect," Rory tried to comfort her. "I mean, even Gwenyth Paltrow makes mistakes, like 'Shallow Hal' and that other movie no one watched where she played a stewardess. So who's perfect? Nobody. Not even mothers."

"Yeah..." Lane seemed to calm down a little. "I'm scared."

"I know you are, but you can do this," Rory encouraged. "First of all, you are great. And second of all, you have nine long months to study about bottles and wrists."

"That's true," Lane conceded.

"And, already, you are way ahead of a lot of people as far as parenting skills go. Like, Britney Spears, she doesn't even know which end of a baby goes up. And Courtney Love? She's no June Cleaver."

"Yeah, I bet I could be a better mother than Courtney Love."

"My sock drawer could be a better mother than Courtney Love," Rory deadpanned. "But yes, of course you would be. And Michael Jackson- you know not to name a baby 'Blanket'."

"I do know that." Lane agreed. "Do not name your baby after an inanimate object."

"See? You're way ahead of the pack."

"Yeah," Lane took a deep breath. "Hey, I wonder if Blanket ever met Tom and Katie's baby, Pillow."

"That would be a perfect play date," Rory laughed.

"Yeah, when it's nap time, they would be totally set."

"And then they could invite Gwyneth's baby Apple over afterwards for a snack," Rory mused.

"Banjo, Rachel Griffith's baby, could play for them," Lane agreed.

"And then they could all jump in Mia Farrow's Satchel and make fun of, uh... what's his face?" Rory grasped for a name.

"Oh, Pilot Inspektor Lee," Lane supplied.

"Yeah," Rory giggled.

"You really think I can do this?" Lane asked.

"I have all the confidence in the world," Rory promised. "I mean, my mom was 16 when she had me and she did a pretty damn good job. You've got five years of experience on her and a husband. You're going to be great."

"I don't think anyone can be as good a mother as Lorelai," Lane pointed out. "I'd settle for half of her parenting abilities."

"You're talking about the woman who left me in a bucket in a hardware store once," Rory pointed out. "She was far from perfect. You can definitely live up to her."

"Thanks," Lane's voice broke. "Pregnant."

"Yeah," Rory agreed.

"Thanks for talking me down."

"Anytime," Rory promised. "I'm always a phone call away and ready for any and all freak outs. You should tell Zach, though."

"I know," Lane sighed. "I just need another day or two to process."

"I can appreciate that. It's a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it," Lane laughed shortly. "I've gotta go. I think I'm going to go throw up again."

"Okay, call me later?"

"Sure," Lane sighed.

"You're gonna be great!"

Lane gave a breathy laugh, then hung up, leaving Rory to mull over the information she had just been given. She would never have imagined that Lane would be her first friend to have kids, she had always thought it would end up being Dean and Lindsay, or any of the girls in the Life and Death Brigade. Lane was far too focused on her music to have kids, but here they were, and now that she was thinking about it, she really did believe that she would be a good mother.

"Hey!" Jess dropped onto the couch beside her, making her jump about a foot in the air.

"Geez! Where the hell did you come from?!"

"Sorry," he laughed. "What are you thinking so hard about? I called your name like three times."

"I just got off the phone with Lane," Rory sighed.

"Oh yeah? What's going on with her?"

"She's pregnant."

"Shut up!" Jess gaped at her.

"That's what I said. But it's true."

"No way," Jess shook his head.

"Yep," Rory huffed. "My married friend Lane and her married husband Zach are having a baby... Nutso!"

"Yeah," Jess agreed.

"I feel old!" Rory cried.

"What?"

"I mean, I'm old enough to have married friends with babies!" She explained. "I'm old!"

"You're not old," Jess snorted. "You're a grown-up."

"Ugh! I don't want to be a grown-up! Let's be teenagers again, or better yet, little kids. God, I wish I was eight years old again!"

"You're being crazy," Jess shook his head.

"I'm not! When I was eight, all I had to worry about was which t-shirt I wanted to wear to school and what book I wanted to read next. Now I have to think about work and school and baby showers and weddings and taxes and retirement and death."

"Retirement and death?" Jess asked.

"It's coming," she reasoned.

"You're being insane," Jess scoffed. "Why don't you have some coffee."

"I don't want coffee, I want a time machine."

"Mallomars?" Jess countered.

"That'll work."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Jess finally relinquished his new book two weeks later, when the first proof copy came back from the printer. It didn't even have a cover yet, and was still riddled with typos, but Rory couldn't have cared less.

"Really?" She asked when he handed it over on Tuesday night, completely stunned. "I actually get to read it?!"

"You don't have to..." He started to take it back, but she lunged at him and ripped it from his hands.

"Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

Jess laughed at her as she greedily surveyed the cover.

"The Notes in the Margins," she read the title out. "That sounds very familiar."

"Well I would hope so," Jess smirked.

"So is it about me?"

"You sure think a lot of yourself, Gilmore." Jess shook his head. "It's _loosely_ based on you. And me."

"Intrigue," Rory dropped onto the couch and started flipping through the pages. "What, no summary?"

"It's the first proof copy," Jess scoffed. "If you hadn't noticed, it's not even totally edited."

"No need to get defensive. I'm just making an observation."

"You're just setting yourself up to have that precious copy taken back until it's officially out."

"Try and take it back," Rory glared at him. "I dare you to see how well it works out for you."

"No need to threaten violence," Jess put his hands up defensively.

"Don't threaten to take my book away, then."

" _MY_ book," he corrected.

"It's so cute that you think that," Rory smiled sweetly at him. "Go away now and let me read."

"What, you're going to start it now? It's almost time for dinner."

"And your point is?" Rory curled into the corner of the couch, opened the first page and disappeared into the world Jess had created for her, completely ignoring him for the rest of the night.

Jess let her be, occasionally putting a cup of coffee beside her, or a plate of food, but they were all ignored.

It wasn't until he was about to go down to Chris's apartment that she recognized his presence again.

"This is the absolute best thing I've ever read!" She called to him. "It's amazing!"

"Why don't you finish it before you make a decision?" Jess suggested, noticing that she was only halfway through and trying not to be too cocky about his latest accomplishment.

"I don't need to finish it," she shook her head. "I know it's going to have any amazing ending. I mean, I'm _going_ to finish it, but I know how amazing it is without doing that."

"You're babbling," Jess pointed out. "Go back to reading."

She nodded and buried her nose in the book once again.

When Jess came back up later that night, he found her passed out on the couch, the book still open on her lap. For a moment he just watched her, taking her in, making a mental note of her every feature. Her hair was falling in her face and her nose was scrunched up like he was dreaming about something annoying. Anybody else looking at her would have seen nothing but a girl passed out on a couch, but he thought that this was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. Careful not to wake her, he pried the book from her hands and set it on the table, before lifting her off the couch and carrying her into their bedroom.

The next morning he woke to find her side of the bed empty, despite the fact that it was barely nine in the morning. He stumbled into the living area in search of coffee and found her curled up on the couch again, book in hand.

"Morning." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, but received only a grunt of recognition. Knowing better than to try and coax a conversation out of her, he poured himself a cup of coffee, topped up her mug and sat down at the kitchen table to answer emails.

It was lunch time when she finally finished reading. She let out a deep sigh, closed the book and set it down on the table as if it might shatter in her hands, then got up and approached Jess. Her eyes were watery and there were tear tracks down her cheeks, but he didn't think he had ever seen her smile so brightly.

"Jess, it's fantastic!"

"Really?"

"Really," she promised. "It's beautiful and raw and thought provoking. God, Jess, it's everything that I could never put into words. It's perfect."

Thanks," he smiled shyly.

Having convinced Jess how amazing the new book truly was, she moved on to telling every other person she came across the same thing, including the guy at the video store and the girl who delivered their pizza on Friday night.

"You know that they don't care, right?" Jess pointed out after she told the UPS delivery guy about it, much to his embarrassment.

"Well they should!" Rory cried. "This is going to be the next New York Times Bestseller, if they listen to me they'll be ahead of the crowd."

"Okay, but you're the only person who thinks that. And while I love that you have this faith in me, it's a little embarrassing how you announce my imaginary accomplishments to everyone."

"Fine," she huffed. "I'll try and keep my excitement and pride to myself."

"I would greatly appreciate that."

"Can I keep telling Chris how great it is, at least?"

"Absolutely," Jess nodded. "If only because it's driving him insane."

"Well that's something, I guess," she kissed his cheek.

After Jess's request to keep her excitement to a minimum when talking to random strangers, Rory was forced to let all her excited, gushing girlfriend energy build up until she drove back to Connecticut a week later for Friday Night Dinner and dumped it all on her mother.

"And, God, it's just so amazing!" She cried, for what was probably the seventeenth time since she had entered the diner to meet her mother five minutes before. "You're going to love it!"

"Okay," Lorelai nodded. "I can't wait to read it."

"I'll try and get you an early copy," Rory promised. "So, what's new with you?"

"Nothing at all," her mother shrugged.

"How are you adjusting to married life?"

"Pretty well," she shrugged. "It's not that big a change, other than the fact that Luke has taken over a complete half of my closet and his stuff is still kind of scattered everywhere, because as we all know, my housekeeping skills are not exactly at Donna Reed level."

"I can attest to that," Rory nodded.

"Hey, your housekeeping isn't exactly hotel level either," her mother pointed out.

"That's not my fault, though."

"You cannot blame that all on Jess!" Lorelai shook her head. "We both know that half of the papers and books and crap lying all over that floor is yours."

"It's like a third," Rory scoffed. "Possibly a quarter, depending on what time of year it is."

"Doesn't matter, it's still yours."

"Whatever," Rory rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "Crap, we have to get going."

"Are you sure?" Lorelai checked her own watch. "I think we can wait a while longer. Why don't we go see a movie or something?"

"Oh good, the evasion is starting," Rory said sarcastically. "Come on. We're going."

"There's always the option of not going," her mother offered. "We haven't seen each other in weeks, why don't we go somewhere and catch up?"

"We're going to Friday Night Dinner." Rory grabbed her mother's wrist and pulled her from her stool. "Luke! We're leaving!"

"Have fun!"

"You're not funny!" Lorelai called back to her husband.

She spent the entire twenty minute drive to Hartford complaining about the prospects of dinner with her parents, much to Rory's chagrin. She did her best to tune her mother out, but it got pretty difficult after the tenth minute. When they finally pulled up to the house, Rory had to physically drag the older woman to the front door.

"Hey, punch me in the stomach!" Lorelai finally suggested.

"What?"

"Real quick- jab, jab. Not too hard, just hard enough to cause a little internal bleeding."

"That sounds pretty hard," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," Lorelai nodded. "Plus, internal bleeding is internal, meaning it can't be proven and unless my mother sees blood there's no way she's going to let you take me to a hospital. You're going to have to punch me in the face. Real quick- jab, jab."

"I'm not going to punch you in the face," Rory shook her head.

"Why?" Lorelai demanded. "I'll heal! And I'd far rather spend the night in the germy emergency room getting 8 to 10 stitched than go in there for dinner. Plus, it'll give me a groovy scar. I've always wanted a groovy scar."

"Mom," Rory frowned disapprovingly.

"It'd be such a great conversation starter," Lorelai babbled. "Like, 'hey where'd you get that groovy scar?' Oh, my daughter drop kicked me, she's totally psycho."

"So now I'm drop kicking you?"

"I'm just giving you options," she shrugged.

"We haven't had dinner in close to a month," Rory told her. "Suck it up. We're going in."

"You didn't even come to the last dinner! You owe me one!"

"I can't help it that my boyfriend is successful and could only come help me move on one night," Rory shrugged.

"That's true. He really is very talented. Hey, I know! Let's go somewhere and talk about how talented he is for a couple hours."

"We're going inside," Rory ordered, then turned and started to knock, only to be stopped by her mother.

"No!" She cried. "It's going to be awful!"

"They're always awful," Rory pointed out.

"No, it's going to be even more awful because of the whole wedding thing!"

"Well that's what happens when you run away and get married on a limb without telling your parents," Rory shrugged. "You have to face the music at some point."

"Do I?" Lorelai asked. "Do I _have_ to? I mean, is it really going to effect them that much?"

"Yes," Rory rolled her eyes. "You have to tell them. Just do it quick, like ripping off a band-aid."

"Sure, if that band-aid was super glued, stapled and surgically embedded into your arm!"

"Just tell them and we'll move on to safer topics, like the Middle East," Rory soothed her.

"I don't know how they're going to come at me," Lorelai explained. "I mean, I know they're going to come at me, but I don't know how. I mean, it could be guilt, anger, contempt. They have so many options!"

"Well if history is anything to pay attention to, it'll probably be a mixture of all of those," Rory shrugged. "Now I promise, that however they attack, I will deflect."

"How will _you deflect_?" Lorelai scoffed.

"I'll talk about Bangalore."

"You know a lot about Bangalore?" her mother asked skeptically.

"Don't you? Bangalore? Outsourcing? When you call customer's service you're almost always talking to some nice dude in India who speaks perfect English. Don't you read magazines?"

"It doesn't seem like a rich subject area."

"Yeah!" Rory smiled brightly and knocked before her mother could stop her again.

"No! Uhh!" Lorelai moaned. "Ah, I know! Tell them you're pregnant, that'll throw them off."

"No." Rory turned as the door opened, ready to greet the maid, only to be met by a small child in a fancy dress.

"Hello," the girl smiled.

"Hi," Lorelai answered, obviously confused.

"Hello," Rory gave a small wave.

"Come in," the girl held the door open. "May I take your coats?"

"Uh, well, okay," Lorelai crossed the threshold and started to remove her coat, Rory following her lead.

"You okay there?" She asked as they piled the coats on the poor kid.

"I'm fine," she smiled sweetly. "Right this way."

She passed the coats off to the maid and led the girls into the living room.

"Weird," Lorelai whispered to Rory.

"So weird," her daughter agreed.

"It's a child, right?"

"Pretty sure."

"Maybe Mom has run out of adults who will work for her," Lorelai guessed as they entered the room and greeted her parents.

"Well done, Charlotte," Emily ignored their greetings and praised the child. "C.C. Guest couldn't have done it better herself."

"Thank you, Mrs. Gilmore."

"Lorelai, Rory, allow me to introduce Charlotte Courtwright," Emily turned to the girls. "Charlotte, this is my daughter Lorelai and granddaughter Rory."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Charlotte beamed at them.

"Oh, a pleasure," Lorelai nodded, biting back a laugh.

"Charlotte's grandparents are dear friends of ours," Emily explained as they sat. "In fact, it was the Courtwrights who put us up for membership at Blackledge. Isn't that right, Richard?"

"Indeed it is," Richard nodded. "Although I have a feeling it was just so that Arthur could humiliate me on the links every Sunday."

"You know, Charlotte's Web is one of my favourite books," Rory offered.

"Spiders talking to pigs, what could be better?" Her mother agreed.

"Can I offer you a cocktail?" Charlotte asked them, startling Lorelai once again.

"Uh... okay. Sure," she nodded unsurely and turned to her mother. "Is that legal?"

"She'll have a martini with a twist," Emily ignored the question. "Scotch on the rocks for Richard, G and T for me and Rory? Soda?"

"Please," Rory nodded.

"Lorelai, would you like that straight up or on the rocks?" Charlotte asked innocently.

"Uh, straight up's good. Thanks," Lorelai looked up at her mother questioningly.

"You're never too young to learn how to make a martini," the older woman explained nonchalantly.

"Who is that?" Lorelai demanded.

"I told you, it's the Courtwright's granddaughter Charlotte."

"Why is she taking our coats and pouring us drinks? Did you win her in a poker game?"

"Your mother has been dragooned by her friends at the D.A.R to lend her expertise to this year's summer cotillion," her father explained.

"It's been quite the responsibility," Emily sighed dramatically. "But Eliza Appleton insisted that there was no one she knew who was better suited to preparing these girls for society, so I could hardly say no."

"Here we are," Charlotte joined them again with a tray of drinks, allowing everyone to take a glass.

"So, nothing for you?" Lorelai joked. "You driving tonight?"

"Oh, Lorelai! I'm only ten," Charlotte giggled.

"In any case, Charlotte missed last week's session on table manners, so we've decided to make tonight\s dinner a make-up class," Emily explained.

"I'm awfully sorry about that," Charlotte apologized.

"Charlotte," Emily said sharply, ignoring the apology. "You might have noticed the ice cubes in my glass have already melted. There's a whole ice bucket there, there's no need to be so stingy!"

"I'm sorry," Charlotte shrunk back in fear, then reached for the glass.

"For future reference," Emily snapped. "It's obviously too late now."

As she got up to get more ice, Lorelai turned to the child.

"This is your chance," she whispered urgently. "Get out while you still can. I can show you _all_ the good escape routes."

"Oh, your mother warned me you would be full of smart remarks," Charlotte giggled.

Lorelai sat back in surprise, not knowing what to do with the poor child, she had already been sucked into the void.

They made idle chit chat until the maid came in and announced that dinner was ready. As they walked into the dining room, Emily explained to her young ward what they would be learning over dinner.

"The table looks beautiful, Grandma," Rory observed as they sat down.

"Why, thank you, Rory."

"What's with all the forks?" Lorelai frowned.

"Every piece of silverware has a purpose," Emily explained. "You simply work from the outermost utensil in towards your plate. Can you name each of the forks?"

"Each one of these forks is going to take twenty minutes," Lorelai muttered as Charlotte listed off each utensil.

"You're gonna wow them at your cotillion," Rory smiled at the girl when she finished.

"Did you ever attend cotillion?" Charlotte asked her.

"No," Rory shook her head. "But I did have a coming-out party."

"And I totally supported her," Lorelai quipped. "She shouldn't have to hide her love of women."

"Lorelai, there is nothing funny about being a lesbian," her mother scolded.

"I'm sure you'll have fun at your cotillion," Rory tried to keep the conversation civil.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," Charlotte beamed.

"Don't get too excited," Lorelai told her. "Cotillions are not fun parties, they are boring rituals to train a whole new generation of snobs."

"How would you know?" Emily sniffed. "You never actually attended a cotillion, Lorelai."

"You don't have to jump off the empire state building to know it's going to hurt," her daughter reasoned.

"Um, this looks delicious," Charlotte awkwardly turned everyone's attention to the soup that had just been served, prompting Emily to start instructing her on how to properly eat her soup.

"I thought you were going to rip off the band-aid?" Rory mumbled to her mother.

"Well, the kid threw me off. I'm looking for an opening."

"Rory, how has summer been treating you?" Her grandfather asked.

"It's treating me well, thank you."

"Are you relaxing in preparation for your senior year?" Emily asked.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of work at the publishing house, but other than that it's been pretty calm," she nodded.

"And what about your social calender? Do you have anything exciting planned?"

"Not really," Rory shrugged. "Jess has been really busy with his new book, so we've mostly just been hanging out around the apartment."

"New book?" Richard raised an eyebrow. "What new book?"

"Oh, Jess just finished his second book and it's amazing! He's just so talented," Rory gushed.

"Well, I look forward to reading it," her grandfather nodded. "I enjoyed his first book immensely."

Rory had given her grandfather a copy of The Subsect a few months earlier, in an attempt to get him to like Jess more and stop her grandmother from continuing to bother her about Logan.

"Jess is Rory's boyfriend," Emily explained to Charlotte, her disdain for the man evident in her tone.

"And how are you enjoying Philadelphia?" Richard asked.

"I like it a lot," Rory smiled. "There's always something interesting happening at Truncheon, and everything is new to me, so I'm still finding all the good haunts."

"Well it sounds like you're happy," Emily smiled curtly.

"And Lorelai, how's summer with you? Anything new?" Richard turned to his daughter.

"Um... well, we planted some pansies at the Dragonfly," she evaded, avoiding meeting Rory's eye. "And, um, I finally got a new DVD player..."

Rory elbowed her mother in the ribs, and she let out a sigh.

"And, uh, Luke and I got married." She tried to sound peppy, but her fear of the coming explosion made it sound more like she was announcing an upcoming root canal.

"Did you?" Emily asked good naturedly. "Well, congratulations."

"Hmm," Richard nodded and took a bite of soup.

There were a few moments of awkward silence, in which Rory and Lorelai exchanged confused looks, then Emily instructed Charlotte on how to keep conversation going.

"Seriously?" Lorelai interrupted her. "That's it? That's all you have to say? 'Congratulations'?"

"What exactly would you like me to say, Lorelai?" Her mother asked coldly. "You've been engaged for some time now, it was bound to happen eventually."

"You're kidding!" Lorelai cried. "Your only daughter just announced that she got married, _without you_ and all you can say is 'that's nice'? I eloped, and you have nothing to say?"

"Honestly Lorelai, I see no point in continuing this conversation," her mother huffed. "We couldn't possibly say the right thing, so why say anything at all?"

"That's not true!" Lorelai argued.

"It absolutely is!" Emily snapped. "What exactly would you like me to say? I'm happy for you, I'm glad that you've finally got married and I will be sure to find an appropriate present for you this week."

"You'll be sure to find an appropriate-" Lorelai gaped at her mother.

"Lorelai, your mother is simply expressing our feelings about your marriage," her father jumped in.

"Fine," Lorelai took a breath and started to pick up her spoon, then stopped. "Only that's not true, because that's not how you feel! You've never liked Luke, you've never shown him anything but contempt, so there's no way that you can be happy about this."

"That's not true," Richard argued. "I played golf with him."

"Once."

"We were going to buy the two of you a house," her mother pointed out. "Doesn't the fact that we are willing to spend an enormous amount of money on a wedding present count for anything? Even though you obviously didn't appreciate the gesture."

"I didn't not appreciate the gesture," Lorelai frowned. "We just didn't want it. We like where we live, we don't want to move."

"Mom," Rory tried to jump in.

"Fine then!" Emily cried. "What exactly would you like me to say? That I'm appalled by your choice of a husband? That I still think you should have married Christopher in the first place?"

"See, now we're getting somewhere," Lorelai waved at her mother. "I knew it!"

"Lorelai, we are very happy about your decision to marry Luke," her father interrupted.

"Not according to Mom!"

"That's not what I said," Emily cried.

"You've been implying it for the last two years!"

"Bangalore!" Rory cried, waving at everyone to be quiet. "Bangalore!... Bangalore."

Silence fell over the table, and Rory immediately filled the silence with a monologue about all the problems with outsourcing, only stopping when her grandfather jumped in to help her out.

Thankfully the rest of the evening was civil, mostly filled with Emily instructing Charlotte on proper etiquette while shooting disapproving looks at her daughter. When dessert was finally finished, Rory and Lorelai were all too happy to take their leave.

"Well," Rory sighed when they got out to the car. "It could have gone worse."

"They didn't say anything!"

"Since when is that a bad thing?" Rory reasoned.

"True," Lorelai shrugged and handed her keys over. "You drive, I have a headache."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

When they got back to town, they stopped at the diner for coffee and pie and found Jess and Luke in the middle of closing up.

"Don't make coffee," Luke complained. "You're the only one that's going to drink it."

"Me too!" Rory waved dramatically. "And if you haven't noticed, we drink a lot of coffee."

"Fine," he huffed. "But you better finish the whole pot."

"Yes Sir!" Lorelai saluted, then turned back to the machine.

"So, how did it go?" Luke asked.

"Fine," his wife shrugged.

"Really?"

"Yep, they said congratulations and we moved on."

Rory frowned at her mother, as she had left out some pretty important details, but the woman waved her off.

"I'm sure they'll have something to say eventually," she shrugged. "But until then, we just get to wait anxiously."

"On the bright side," Rory interjected. "Grandpa is really excited for your new book."

"Oh good," Jess frowned. "No pressure then."

"Don't worry, he likes you," Lorelai comforted her daughter's boyfriend.

"For now, we all know that could change at any moment."

"No, that's just my mother," Lorelai shook her head. "Dad's pretty stable. Once he likes you, you're in, barring breaking his granddaughter's heart."

"Good to know."

"So when _do_ we get to read the latest masterpiece?" Lorelai asked. "Rory won't shut up about it."

"I know," he frowned at his girlfriend.

"It's not my fault I'm proud of you," she shrugged. "If you don't want me to brag about you, you shouldn't be such a talented writer."

"I'll work on that," he promised.

"So, are you guys staying upstairs tonight?" Luke asked his nephew.

"Unless you don't want us to," Jess shrugged.

"No, that's fine. I was just wondering. You know you're always welcome to stay here."

"Okay, well in that case, I'm going to go upstairs and get changed," Rory announced.

"Ya, I'm going to go home and get changed too," Lorelai agreed. "See you tomorrow?"

"We'll be here," Rory nodded, then turned to Jess. "You coming?"

"I'll be up in a couple minutes," he nodded. "I'm just gonna finish cleaning up."

"Alright. Night, Luke!"

"Night, Rory," he waved.

"So what really happened tonight?" Jess asked when he got upstairs a few minutes later, dropping onto the bed beside Rory.

"They didn't react at all," she frowned. "Grandma said 'that's nice' and that was it."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but then Mom didn't believe them so she started pushing it and the whole scene ended with me screaming 'Bangalore!' until everyone stopped talking."

"Bangalore?" Jess asked.

"You know, outsourcing and all that," she explained.

"Oh, sure," he rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, the more entertaining thing was the small child they had over so Grandma could teach her how to be a proper lady."

"Poor thing," Jess frowned.

"That's what we said, but she seemed happy enough. We even offered to help her escape, but she just laughed."

"That's what happens when you drink the Kool-aid," Jess frowned.

"Anything exciting happen here?"

"Lane spent an hour complaining that the meatloaf smelled like fish, then went out back and puked before I came down to relieve her," Jess shrugged. "And then Kirk spent an hour telling everyone that she had food poisoning and they were all going to die, at which point Luke chucked him out the front door and then chased him around the square for twenty minutes."

"Man, I always miss the good stuff!" Rory huffed.

"I'll film it for you next time," Jess promised.

"Thanks." Rory smiled and put her head in his lap.

"Tired?" He asked, stroking her hair.

"A little," she yawned. "Why don't we see what's on TV?"

"Sure," Jess nodded, knowing she would fall asleep before they even chose something.

True to his prediction, Rory was sound asleep before they could even decide between 'Bringing Up Baby' and 'Casablanca' twenty minutes later.

"Rory," he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"You're asleep."

"Very astute," she mumbled.

"Would you like to move to the bed?" Jess chuckled.

"Are you making a move on me, Mariano?"

"Come on," he laughed and got up. "Let's get you to bed."

When she didn't say anything else, he leaned down and lifted her from the couch himself.

"You're nice," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone."

"Mmhm," she agreed.

Jess was still asleep when Rory got up the next morning, so she got dressed and wandered downstairs for coffee.

"Morning Luke," she greeted her step-father as she came out from behind the curtain.

"Hey, Rory. Coffee?"

"Please," she took a seat at the counter and accepted the mug.

"What were you doing up there?" Kirk demanded, taking the stool beside her. "Nobody's allowed up there."

"I was sleeping up there, Kirk," Rory rolled her eyes.

"But Luke lives up there."

"Not anymore," she shook her head.

"So now you live there?" Kirk asked. "Because if I'd known it was up for grabs I would have made a move. Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because it's not up for grabs, Kirk." Luke grumbled. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you didn't tell me you were getting rid of your apartment," the man crossed his arms. "I thought we were friends, Luke."

"I''m not getting rid of my apartment," Luke huffed. "Jess and Rory stay there when they're in town and I still have an office up there. Now, are you going to order something?"

"Pancakes. So, what about when you're not here?" He turned back to Rory. "Maybe we could figure out some kind of time-share agreement."

"Go sit somewhere else, Kirk," Rory groaned.

"Fine," he got up and went to sulk at a table.

"You want something to eat?" Luke came back from delivering an order and pulled out his notepad.

"Two eggs, bacon, sausage and a pancake, please. And do you have any whipped cream?"

"I'm not putting whipped cream on your breakfast," Luke shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because it's my job to try and keep you well fed, one of the many perks of being your stepfather."

"You've been trying to feed me properly since I was ten," Rory pointed out. "I don't think it has anything to do with your being my legal stepfather now."

"But now you _have_ to listen to me."

"I'm twenty-two years old!" Rory cried.

"You're twenty-one," Luke corrected. "And you're still not getting the whipped cream. Someone has to try and teach you healthy eating habits."

"Really Luke, if you haven't succeeded yet, what makes you think your marriage to my mother is going to change things now?" Rory challenged.

"A renewed sense of responsibility and my plucky, can-do spirit," he shrugged.

Rory snorted at the self portrait he had just painted, then crossed her arms and sulked when she realized he wasn't going to back down.

"You suck, Luke."

"I'm okay with that," he smiled and went into the back to give Cesar her order. "Oh, by the way, your mom is being weird."

"And this is a new phenomenon for you?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"No, she's being weirder than usual," Luke elaborated. "When I left this morning she was sitting at the kitchen table analyzing all the Poptarts in the house."

"Excuse me?"

"That's what I mean. You might want to check up on her."

"Isn't that your job now?" Rory asked. "It's part of the whole marriage thing. You know, other than the stepfather duties

"It's your turn," Luke shook his head. "I listened to her complain about her parents all last night."

"I've been doing that for eighteen years," she pointed out. "One night is not a turn."

"I have a business to run," Luke reasoned. "And you're not doing anything other than sleeping with your cousin upstairs."

"Luke!" Rory cringed and covered her ears.

"I'm not wrong," he shrugged.

"You have been spending way too much time with Mom!"

"Which is why it's your turn."

"Fine," she huffed. "If you promise to never bring up the whole 'cousins' thing ever again."

"Deal," Luke nodded and went to get her breakfast.

"What's the green stuff?" Rory wrinkled her nose when she saw her plate.

"It's spinach, eat it."

"If you think I'm eating that for breakfast, you really have been spending too much time with Mom and have obviously lost your mind," she shook her head and pushed the vegetable onto another plate.

"You're going to die at thirty," he groaned.

"But I'll still be young and beautiful," she beamed.

"I give up," Luke threw his hands up in despair.

"And it only took thirteen years!" Rory threw her own hands in the air victoriously.

"What took thirteen years?" Jess asked, coming downstairs and pouring himself a cup of coffee before dropping onto the stool beside her.

"Hey," she smiled and kissed him. "When did you get up?"

"Just a couple minutes ago. What took thirteen years?"

"I finally broke Luke," she grinned.

"Wow, congrats! What was it that finally broke the camel's back?"

"I refused to eat the spinach he tried to feed me for breakfast."

"You tried to give her spinach for breakfast?" Jess asked his uncle. "Are you crazy?"

"She needs to eat something that isn't made of sugar!" Luke cried.

"Hey, I'm eating bacon. That's protein!" Rory argued.

"Okay, but you can't just stick a pile of spinach on the plate," Jess explained. "You have to hide it in something that tastes good."

"Excuse me?" Rory turned on her boyfriend. "Are you saying that you hide vegetables in my food?"

"No, I wrap it in bacon so that you think it's unhealthy."

"I'm never letting you feed me again," she gaped at him.

"If I don't feed you you'll starve," Jess pointed out. "Just don't think about what you're eating. It's like a night at your grandmother's house."

"God, it's too early for this," Rory shook her head. "And I hate you both."

"We're okay with that," Jess assured her.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Luke says Mom is being weird, so I have to go perform an intervention. Want to come?"

"Nope," Jess shook his head. "But you have fun. I'm going to call Chris and see what's happening with the book, and then I figured I'd help Luke out."

"Work dork," Rory wrinkled her nose at him and finished her coffee. "Alright, I'm out of here."

She reached into her pocket for some money but Jess waved her off.

"I'll work for your breakfast, you go deal with Lorelai."

"You're just trying to make me forget about the fact that you've been hiding vegetables in my food," she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is it working?"

"Maybe."

"I'll see you later," he laughed and kissed her cheek.

"Bye!"

Rory figured that her mom would be at the Inn, since it was almost ten in the morning, so she headed straight there.

"Hey Cupcake!" Sookie greeted her brightly as she entered the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Mom. Luke says she's being weird."

"What else is new?" Sookie asked. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"No, thanks. I just ate. I wouldn't say no to coffee, though."

"Fresh pot over there," Sookie pointed. "And your Mom should be out front."

"Thanks, Sookie."

Rory took her coffee and wandered outside.

"Mom?" She called, heading for the reception desk.

"Hey, Kid!" Lorelai smiled at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by," Rory shrugged. "I like your hair."

"Thanks," Lorelai struck a pose to show off the up do. "I thought I'd try something new."

"Which is always fun," her daughter nodded. "So, Luke told me you were trying to figure out the molecular structure of the Poptarts this morning."

"Rat," Lorelai frowned.

"What's going on?"

"Come on, let's go sit." Lorelai linked arms with her daughter and headed for the dining room.

"Are you pregnant?" Rory asked.

"What?!"

"Well, you're doing weird things with your food and now you want to sit down!" She argued. "What am I supposed to think?"

"That I've been standing for two hours and I want a break," Lorelai frowned.

"So you're not pregnant."

"No," Lorelai shook her head. "You are still an only child and will remain that way for the foreseeable future."

"Technically I'm not an only child," Rory pointed out.

"Whatever, do you want to know about the Poptarts?"

"I do."

"I don't know if I like Poptarts," Lorelai explained.

"Sorry?"

"I don't know if I like Poptarts," she repeated.

"Did you fall on your head or something?" Rory asked, very confused. "And now you have some strange form of food specific amnesia?"

"Okay, last night I was dreading my parent's reaction to the wedding, right?"

"Yes, dread," her daughter confirmed. "Which you showed off in the most petulant of ways."

"Right, and then they didn't react- at all! It's almost like the absence of their reaction was worse than any freak out they could have had."

"Sure," Rory nodded.

"And then I thought, 'why? Why do I care if they freak out?'" She continued. "And _then_ I thought, maybe their freak outs are like a compass for me, you know? Like, I know I'm doing what I want to do if it freaks them out. And then I thought, what if I don't want to do what I want to do because I want to do it, but because they _don't_ want me to do it?"

"Okay, you lost me there," Rory shook her head.

"What if I don't like the things I like because I like them, but because my mother _doesn't_ like them?" Lorelai explained. "What if I don't like the music I like, or the movies, or the men!? What if I don't like what I thought I liked?!"

"Hence the Poptarts?"

"Yes, hence!" Lorelai agreed. "I can remember the first time I had a Poptart, it was at my friend Erica's house and I knew that my mother would recoil at even the thought of my eating a Poptart, so I had one. And I opened the silver wrapper and took a bite, and it tasted like freedom. It tasted like I was finally my own person. It tasted like freedom and rebellion and independence!"

"What flavour of Poptart was that?" Rory asked.

"But now, I think, what if I don't really like Poptarts?" Her mother continued, ignoring the question. "Would I have liked them as much if they had been served on a silver platter and I was forced to finish every last bite?"

"Okay, you're being crazy," Rory shook her head. "Of course you like Poptarts, if you didn't then you wouldn't eat them. And of course you like Luke. I have never once known you to do something, eat something or speak to something you didn't like."

"But-"

"No buts! Their lack of a freak out was probably nothing more than saving face in front of that kid, or the fact that they've finally learned that they can't change your mind once you've decided on something."

"Maybe," Lorelai frowned. "But I still think-"

"Stop thinking," Rory ordered. "You like what you like and your parents are masters of psychological warfare, this was probably their plan all along."

"To make me crazy from asking existential questions about my life?"

"Would you put it past them?" Rory challenged.

"No," her mother flopped. "Okay, maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Rory nodded. "Now, let's talk about something else."

"Okay, what?"

"Luke tried to feed me vegetables."

"What?" Lorelai snorted.

"He wouldn't give me whipped cream for my pancakes this morning, and he put spinach on my plate and tried to convince me to eat it," she explained. "He says that because I'm now officially his daughter, he has the power to change my eating habits. You need to talk to him."

"Forget it kid, the man's on a mission," her mother laughed. "If he doesn't make _you_ do it, then he's going to make me do it."

"So you're going to sacrifice your only child, your beloved daughter, your firstborn, to your lunatic husband?" Her daughter pleaded. "What kind of mother are you?"

"The kind that lives in reality," Lorelai smiled. "Sorry kid, you're on your own."

"I am an island," Rory shook her head.

"Didn't Jess take your side?"

"No! Apparently he's been hiding vegetables in my food for months. He wraps it in bacon so that I don't ask what it is," she frowned.

"The traitor," Lorelai shook her head. "I'm very sorry that your boyfriend is so sneaky."

"Yeah, well he told Luke about it, so you better start watching the bacon."

"Ugh, I knew there was a reason I didn't like that punk," she frowned.

"See, you're suffering too!" Rory laughed.

"Alright, I need to go and do my job," Lorelai got up. "Do you have any plans today?"

"I thought I would analyze every meal Jess has served me in the last year, and then eat a bag of marshmallows in the diner just to drive them both crazy."

"Sounds fun, I'll see you later?"

"Absolutely," she nodded.

When Rory got back to the diner, Lane was just going on her break, so the girls went upstairs to chat for a few minutes.

"So?" Rory asked her once they were seated on the couch. "How did he take it?"

"Take what?" Lane asked, looking confused.

"How did Zach take the pregnancy?"

"Oh! I haven't told him yet."

"Lane!" Rory chastised.

"What? I needed time to process, and you know, lots of people don't tell anyone until after the twelfth week," Lane reasoned.

"Not the husband," Rory scoffed.

"I'll tell him," Lane promised. "I just need some more time to adjust."

"You can wait as long as you want," Rory relented. "You can wait until the baby comes out and have her tell him."

"Her?" Lane demanded, looking panicked.

"Or him," Rory offered.

"Oh, God!" Lane cried. "Who's ready for a him?!"

"You are," Rory assured her, a little bit of panic sneaking into her own voice. "And Zach is. You're both ready, you're going to do great."

"Hey, do _you_ want to tell him?" Lane asked. "I mean, you seem a lot more convinced about our ability to do this than I am, it might sound better coming from you."

"Yeah, no," Rory shook her head. "You're on your own this time."

"Lane!" Luke called up the stairs. "I could use some help down here!"

"Coming!" Lane jumped to her feet and headed for the door. "I promise I'll tell him soon."

"How about you tell him today?"

"We'll see," Lane huffed.

"You can do it!" Rory cheered her on.

Lane ignored her and ran down the stairs to get back to work, leaving Rory alone to get some of her own work done until Jess joined her an hour later.

"Okay!" He threw the apartment door open and ran over to Rory, pulling her up from her chair and spinning her around excitedly. "I have news!"

"I can see that," Rory laughed, holding onto his arm to keep her balance. "What's going on, babe?"

"I just got off the phone with Chris. All the editing is done for the book and the final copy has been sent to the printer."

"That's great!" Rory beamed. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, but that's not the news."

"Oh, okay," she stepped back and put her serious face on. "Lay it on me."

"Well, it's going to be author promoted, as per usual because we're small and poor."

"Not exactly true," Rory frowned. "But continue."

"We want to go bigger this time, try to get more widespread, so Chris and Matt suggested I go cross country," Jess explained. "So I was wondering if you were up for a road trip."

"Seriously? That sounds amazing!"

"So you'll come?" He confirmed.

"I would love to come!" Rory jumped up and down excitedly. "We're going on a trip! Road trip! Road trip!"

"So that's a yes," Jess laughed, trying to get her to stop jumping around him.

"Yes!" She squealed again. "I'm so excited! I love road trips! When do we leave?!"

"It'll be from the end of July to the middle of August, as soon as the book is off the printers."

"This is so exciting!" Rory beamed. "Our first trip!"

"We went on a trip for Valentine's Day," Jess pointed out.

"That was New York, that doesn't count," Rory shook her head. "This is a real live road trip! I love road trips! I have to start planning!"

"You don't know where we're going," Jess laughed. " _I_ don't know where we're going."

"I can fix that," she assured him. "I have planning to do."

Jess watched her run off with a horrified look on his face, wondering whether he had made a terrible mistake telling her about the trip as soon as he found out.

"I need marshmallows if I'm going to plan this properly," she announced. "Do you think there are any in the cupboards?"

"I highly doubt it."

"Will you go get me some?"

"No," Jess shook his head. "Because I am not an enabler."

"Ha!" Rory scoffed. "That is a big fat lie, but okay. How about some donuts? Or pie- ooh! Pie!"

"It's barely even noon!"

"It's never too early for pie," she reasoned. "And bring some fries too... and ice cream!"

Instead of arguing, Jess decided it would be best to just let her start planning everything and follow her around the country when the time came. If it made her happy, he was more than happy to let her do it.

Rory spent most of the afternoon on the phone to Truncheon with Jess, discussing where they should go to promote the book and making a list of stores to discuss putting the book in.

"There are a lot of stores on that list of yours," Jess observed. "You know we can't get to all of those, right?"

"Of course," Rory assured him. "This is just a list of pretty much every independent bookstore in every city we're going to be hitting. Chris says that you guys are going to be calling and arranging meetings so we'll be able to cut a bunch."

"Ah," Jess nodded. "Sounds good."

"But that all falls under _your_ job description. I'm in charge of figuring out where we're going to be staying and eating and all that."

"Who on earth decided to give you that kind of power?"

"You did," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna go give Luke a hand, I need a break."

"You do know that when most people take a break they watch TV, or read a book?" Jess pointed out. "They don't usually go and work in their stepfather's diner."

"I'm special, you should know this by now."

"Oh, I do," Jess assured her. "Doesn't make it any less weird."

"Are _you_ going to come help?"

"Maybe later," he shook his head. "I'm gonna take one last look at the final draft before it's too late to make anymore changes."

"Alright, I'll bring you something to eat later."

"Thanks."

Jess grabbed his laptop and dropped onto the couch, settling in for a long couple of hours.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Luke!" Rory called melodically, jumping out from behind the curtain and looking around. "Where are you?"

"Storage room!" Luke called.

She made her way through the kitchen and found him unloading boxes.

"Hey, Rory. What's up?"

"I was just going to see if you needed some help down here," she shrugged. "I needed a bit of a break from all the planning. Four hours on the phone with Chris and Matt is a lot."

"You have a very strange sense of taking a break," Luke chuckled. "But I would love some help. Could you just keep an eye on the front so I can get this all finished up? Cesar's in the back, he can do all the cooking."

"I'm on it," Rory nodded,

She went out front and pulled the book she had taken to keeping under the counter out, since there was only a couple people sitting at the tables. Every once and a while she walked around with the coffee pot and offered refills.

She had just put on a fresh pot when her mom came in and threw herself onto a stool.

"Ugh! Never, ever put anything in writing!" She grumbled.

"Good advice to give to a journalist," Rory nodded and set a mug in front of her mother.

"This is empty," she frowned.

"That's because the coffee isn't finished," Rory rolled her eyes. "So why shouldn't you put things in writing?"

"Because if you do, you'll end up having to do horrible things that you absolutely do NOT want to do!"

"Sure," Rory nodded and retrieved the now full coffee pot. "Because that makes complete and total sense."

"My mother came into the inn today with her little marionette children to practice for cotillion," Lorelai filled in the blanks, helping herself to a donut. "And Michel begged me to take him to the stupid thing on Friday, then he pulled out a bunch of post-it notes that I had written on to say I owe him a favour and he's cashing it in."

"Sucker," Rory laughed.

"Hey!" Lorelai frowned.

"Sorry, but you're the one who gave Michel an IOU," her daughter shrugged. "This is your problem."

"Where's Luke? Maybe he'll give me some sympathy, seeing as my daughter is an ungrateful little rat."

"He's in the storage room," Rory pointed around the corner and poured herself a cup of coffee. "But I doubt you'll get much sympathy from him."

"Yeah, but I like looking at him," Lorelai took her mug and disappeared behind the counter, leaving Rory alone once again.

"Would you put that down!?" Luke cried a few minutes later.

"But it's fun!"

"Rory, get your mother out of here!" Luke ordered, dragging the elder Gilmore back into the diner.

"Come on!" Lorelai cried. "Just one box!"

"You're not playing with the X-acto knife!" Luke shook his head. "Give it."

"You're no fun!" His wife sulked and passed over the knife.

"Knives aren't meant to be fun," Luke scolded. "They are dangerous. Go drink your coffee."

She glared at him and rounded the counter. Once Luke was gone, Rory turned back to her mother and smiled.

"Hey, I have news."

"Really?" Lorelai asked. "In the last five minutes?"

"No, before, but you were going on about post-its and Michel's evil tendencies."

"Very true," she nodded. "Alright, let me have it."

"Jess and I are going on a road trip so he can tell the world about _Notes in the Margin_ and get it into stores all over the country."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Rory nodded. "It's going to be three weeks, end of July to the middle of August, and we're going to be all over the place."

"That sounds amazing!" Lorelai beamed. "I'm so excited for you! Do you want to borrow my road trip handbook? I am the resident expert."

"Thanks, but I think I've got it covered," Rory laughed. "You and me have done this enough, I've got a very good plan."

"Well I can't wait to hear all about it. This is big, your first real vacation."

"I know," Rory nodded.

"You think you're ready?"

"Well we've practically been living together since October," she pointed out. "I don't think we're going to learn anything else about each other."

"Alright," her mother shrugged. "So are you going to hit all the important landmarks in our nation? The world's biggest ball of yarn, that creepy Inn we stayed at in Boston? Oh! The Jimmy Carter peanut statue!"

"I will definitely be adding all of those to the list of destinations," Rory assured her.

"That's my girl," Lorelai beamed. "Alright, I have to go call my mother and get Michel and I into this stupid cotillion. You coming home for dinner?"

"I am, I don't know if Jess will come, though. He's doing one last read through before they give the printer the go ahead, and I don't know how long it's going to take."

"Alright, well I'm going to order Chinese, so there'll be enough to feed a small village."

"Got it," Rory nodded. "See you later."

"Bye, Doll. Bye, Luke!"

There was a muffled crash from the back room, followed by Luke cursing.

"And on that note," Lorelai jumped from her stool and ran for the door.

"Coward!" Rory called after her, then turned to check on her stepfather. "Luke? You okay?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. "I just dropped the damn box and- don't come in here! There's glass everywhere!"

Rory stopped abruptly in the doorway and stuck her head inside, leaning against the door frame.

"Do you want a broom?" She asked, looking at the mess of glass and pickles all over the floor.

"Please," he nodded.

Rory grabbed the broom and dustpan, along with a mop from the kitchen. "You want some help?" She offered, handing the implements over.

"No," Luke shook his head. "If you could just keep things moving out there, that would be great."

"I'm on it," Rory nodded. "I forgot how much fun it was working here."

"Are there even people out there?" Luke asked.

"No, but I'm a really big fan of getting to sit right beside the coffee maker," Rory smiled brightly. "It's so cool being allowed on the other side of the counter."

"I'm glad you think so," he chuckled.

Leaving Luke to clean up, Rory bounced back out front to serve the few tables that had straggled in while she was gone, then had Cesar make a turkey burger for Jess and snuck upstairs for a few minutes.

"How's it going?" She asked, setting the plate down on the coffee table and sitting down.

"I've got about a hundred pages left," he shrugged. "So far I'm satisfied, but we both know that won't last."

"Which is why after today, you're not allowed to touch it," Rory smiled at him. "I'm having dinner back at the Crap Shack, are you going to come?"

"If I'm done," he nodded.

"That's what I told Mom. Well, I'll let you get back to work," she jumped up and pecked him on the lips.

"You do know that you don't actually work there, right?" Jess asked her.

"I do, but I also know that it's a family business, and we are now family. Therefore, I'm getting back to work."

"Alright," Jess shrugged. "Have fun."

"I am!" She grinned at him, then headed back downstairs.

She stayed to help through the dinner rush, not wanting to leave Luke empty handed and enjoying the kind of bonding time they seemed to be having. It almost felt like the 'take your daughter to work day' that she had never gotten with her own father.

"You're having way too much fun with this," Luke shook his head at her halfway through the rush. "It's like when your mom ran the place that one week."

"I helped her!" Rory pointed out. "And I don't know how you _don't_ think this is fun!"

"Because I'm not as crazy as you are," he grabbed a couple plates from the window and passed them to her. "Go give these to Babette and Maury."

"Got it, Gertie!"

"Stop calling me that!" He yelled after her, making her giggle.

By the time the diner had cleared out enough for Cesar to take over, Jess had finished his editing and decided to join them for dinner, walking over to the house with Rory while Luke went to pick up the food Lorelai had ordered.

"So, what's the verdict?" Rory asked, wrapping her arms around his waist as they walked.

"It's publishable," he shrugged. "We'll see what the rest of the world has to say about it."

"Well, as the only other person in the world who's read it, I think it's worth a Pulitzer," Rory promised.

"I appreciate that very biased opinion," he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "I just hope everyone else is as happy about it as you are."

"They will if they know what's good for them."

"That sounds like a threat, Miss Gilmore," Jess shook his head.

"It was."

"And how exactly do you plan to enforce this threat?" He asked, a smirk ghosting over his lips.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? Chris and I are putting a note in the front of the book informing everyone who reads it that not liking it is a crime punishable by death."

"You must have forgot to mention that," Jess nodded along seriously.

"My bad," she smirked. "Cynthia's agreed to be our angel of death, so we're all set. The world will love your book whether they like it or not."

"Man, you'd make a great publicist," Jess laughed. "If this whole journalist thing doesn't work out, you definitely have something to fall back on."

Rory smirked and led him up the porch and into the house.

"Mom! We're home!" She called.

"Kitchen!" Lorelai called back. "I'm cooking!"

Rory and Jess exchanged a confused look, then hurried into the other room to figure out what was going on.

"You're _what_?" Rory asked.

"Cooking," her mother repeated.

They rounded the corner to find Lorelai standing at the stove, stirring a pot.

"What the hell?" Jess mumbled.

"I am so confused," Rory frowned. "What is happening right now? I thought we were ordering food."

"You also thought you were coming home to your mother," Jess pointed out. "Obviously we've stepped into some sort of alternate reality, though."

"Can it, Evil Spawn," Lorelai glared at him. "I ordered food, and then I decided that I wanted Mac and Cheese and Luke taught me how to make _real_ Mac and Cheese a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd test it out."

"Unsupervised?" Rory scoffed.

"Listen, Kid, I fed you for ten years before we started relying on Luke," Lorelai pointed out. "The house is still standing and you didn't die, so I can't be that terrible."

"You fed me for like _two_ years before we started depending on Luke," Rory corrected. "Before that Sookie fed us, and before _that_ whoever Mia had hired to run the kitchen at the time fed us. And really, in that time in between, Sookie still fed us because our cooking was mostly just re-heating."

"Whatever," Lorelai waved her off. "My point, is that I don't need to be supervised."

"If you say so," Rory shrugged. "So, is this going to be any good?"

"Oh who knows," her mom shrugged. "But I thought it'd be fun to try."

"I think it's burning," Jess wrinkled his nose.

"Crap!" Lorelai turned and started stirring frantically, trying to save her creation.

"Want some help?" Jess offered.

"I can do it," the older woman waved him off.

"You want some help?" Jess asked again, when the concoction started bubbling over.

"Yes," she slumped and relinquished her spoon.

"At least you tried," Rory comforted her mother.

"I'm a failure," she sighed dramatically.

"You're not a failure," Rory wrapped an arm around her and led her to the kitchen table. "You did your best, and that's all anyone can ask for."

"Don't patronize me."

"Lorelai!" Luke's voice floated through the back door, followed by two sharp kicks.

"Who's there?!" Lorelai asked, immediately forgetting about her failed cooking attempt.

"Open the door!" Luke ordered.

"To a strange man? Not a chance!"

"Rory!" Luke appealed to the younger Gilmore.

"Coming," Rory got up from the table and opened the door, taking one of the bags Luke was trying to balance in his arms.

"Oh, hey!" Lorelai smiled innocently at her husband. "How was work?"

Luke just glared at her, putting the rest of the food on the counter.

"What's that?" He asked, inspecting the pot of Mac n' Cheese Jess had taken over.

"She cooked," Jess pointed his thumb at Lorelai.

"You what?" Luke turned to look at her.

"You taught me how to cook," Lorelai reasoned. "I thought I'd try it out."

"I didn't _teach_ you how to cook," he shook his head. "I _offered_ to teach you, but you refused to listen and just followed me around the kitchen pretending to be Gordon Ramsay for an hour."

"Oh, right!" She nodded. "Well, Jess stepped in so it might actually be okay."

"I don't think so," Jess shook his head. "It's turned a strange red colour. You didn't, by any chance, bleed into this, did you?"

"Let's not risk it," Luke leaned over and turned the stove off, then slammed the lid onto the pot.

"Good call," Rory agreed. "Living room?"

"I'll grab plates," Jess offered.

"I'll pick a movie," Lorelai ran out in front of him.

"Watch her," Luke told Rory, who gave him a fake salute and skipped off.

They settled on 'Hard Bodies' with minimal bickering, both in the mood for a true classic.

"I still don't understand what the big deal about this movie is," Luke said halfway through.

"That's because you have no taste," Lorelai patted his knee.

"Yeah," Jess agreed. "You're uncultured swine."

"This from the man who owns three copies of everything Ernest Hemingway ever wrote," Rory scoffed.

"Hey, I-"

"No!" Lorelai interrupted the couple. "You are not starting this argument again! Not in the middle of a classic like 'Hard Bodies'."

"Fine," they both sulked and turned back to the movie while Luke and Lorelai tried not to laugh at them. It didn't matter that they were both in their twenties and had moved away, some things never changed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

The next morning Rory had plans to meet Lane at the bookstore, so she armed herself with coffee and donuts and headed out early.

"So?" She asked, handing Lane her coffee. "Did you tell him?"

"I did," Lane nodded. "But I think he forgot."

"Excuse me?"

"Ya," Lane nodded and held the door open to let Rory in first.

"How do you forget something like that?" Rory gaped.

"I don't know _how_ things get lost in the recesses of Zach's brain, I just know it happens," Lane shrugged.

They wandered around the store, Lane collecting books on pregnancy and Rory collecting ones about travelling across the United States. Once they were satisfied with their selections, they found a quiet corner and sat down on the floor to read.

"Oh, God!" Lane exclaimed a couple chapters into her first book. "No way! No way!"

"What?" Rory looked up from her own book.

"Did you notice no one ever gives you details when they tell you about childbirth? It's because the details are gross and scary and unacceptable," Lane told her, a horrified look on her face.

"Obviously you haven't spoken to my mother about it," Rory scoffed. "I'm sure she'll be more than happy to give you _all_ the gory details. She tells me about it every year on my birthday. But what exactly are you finding so repulsive at the moment?"

"Well, apparently in about three months, I can look forward to dark spots on my face, because it's not enough to just get fat."

"It's not fat. It's a baby," Rory argued.

"A baby that will shoot out of my body, despite the fact that it is obviously much too large," Lane complained. "I didn't think this through when we were dating. I was all into the fact that Zach was big and manly, which means I'm gonna have a big, manly baby. I am a small woman!"

"I don't think I've ever thought of Zach as big and manly," Rory's forehead wrinkled.

"Compared to Henry Lee?" Lane challenged. "Remember when my mom wanted me to date Henry Lee, he was practically a member of the Lollipop Guild. I would have had teeny-tiny babies with him."

"Yeah, but he was your second cousin," Rory frowned. "I think you would have had other problems with those babies."

"Whatever," Lane shrugged. "I'm not doing it. This baby is just going to have to find another way out or stay in there forever. I'm perfectly fine with either option."

"Try not to think about that part," Rory consoled her. "Just take it step by step. So far you're doing great."

"What scale are you using for that analysis, exactly?" Lane asked. "Because I'm not exactly feeling great."

"That's morning sickness," Rory assured her. "You told Zach, which is the first step, and that means you're doing great."

"And apparently I'll have to keep telling him," Lane huffed. "It'll be like a real life '50 First Dates'."

"Maybe he's just taking time to process," Rory offered. "You needed time."

"Maybe," Lane sighed and looked at her watch. "God, has it really been three hours? I have to get to work."

She got up and picked a few books to buy, Rory following her lead.

"Are you heading back to Philly today?"

"Yeah, Jess has to get back to Truncheon."

"But what am I going to do without you?" Lane sulked. "You're the only sane person here who knows about this."

She waved around her stomach vaguely, careful not to speak too loudly.

"I'm only a phone call away," Rory promised, linking arms with her friend as they exited the store and headed for the diner. "Night or day."

"At least that's something."

"You're going to be fine," Rory laughed. "It's all going to turn out great! And I'm going to throw you the best baby shower you've ever seen."

"Not exactly a difficult feat, seeing as I've never been to a baby shower."

"I like to keep the bar low," Rory shrugged. "Either way, it's going to be great. You're going to be so impressed you'll want to name your baby after me."

"Because that's all we need," Jess commented as they approached the counter. "Another Lorelai running around this outpatient mental facility."

"Nobody asked you," Rory glared at him. "Lorelai is a great name, with a rich heritage."

"I will definitely consider it," Lane laughed.

"Hey, tell Zach, then remind him about it six months from now and tell him he agreed to it," Rory suggested. "He probably won't remember."

"And on that note," Lane rolled her eyes and pulled out her apron. "I'm going to go do my job now. Say bye before you leave?"

"Of course. Are you ready?" Rory turned to her boyfriend. "Or do I have to go upstairs and pack up all our crap?"

"Not only did I 'pack up our crap'," Jess informed her. "But I also packed up the car, so you're the only thing slowing our departure down."

"Well then," she sniffed. "In that case, maybe I'll go take a shower, or learn how to make a souffle."

"Or, you could go get in the car."

"You're in a mood," Rory frowned.

"I'm not in a mood, I just want to get back to Truncheon. There's things to do."

"Alright," she relented. "Just let me say bye to Lane and Luke."

"I'll meet you in the car. Bye, Lane!" Jess waved to the woman as he headed for the door, earning himself a quick salute and on order not to crash her best friends car again.

"It was one time!" He argued, rolling his eyes.

"Bye," Rory laughed and hugged her friend. "Talk to Zach again, and call me."

"You can count on it," Lane snorted.

"And if you're really worried, you could always tell _my_ mom," Rory suggested. "She's pretty handy with stuff like this, I mean she kept Sookie from going crazy when she was pregnant, and she definitely won't sugarcoat anything for you."

"That's not a terrible idea," Lane mulled the idea over. "And she really is the next best thing to you."

Rory nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright," Lane agreed. "I'll talk to her. It's not like it'll be the first time I've gone to her for advice instead of Mama Kim."

"Well there's always been much less of a chance of being sent back to the old country with Lorelai," Rory laughed.

"Too true," Lane sighed. "Alright, drive safe. I'll call you tomorrow."

The girls hugged once more, then Rory ran for the car while Lane grabbed a coffee pot and got to work.

Upon their return to Truncheon, Rory flew into planning mode, spending all her time looking through travel books and online booking hotels, only taking breaks to referee arguments about bar names.

She found herself yelling at Matt and Chris to go to their corners on a regular basis, especially when they started arguing in front of customers. It had gotten so bad that she and Cynthia had set up 'Time Out' chairs on opposite ends of the store for them.

She was in the middle of a call to a store in Santa Cruz one day when they got themselves so worked up she had to put the call on hold, stand on her chair and scream to get their attention.

"Corners!" She screeched at them, practically vibrating with annoyance. "Some of us are trying to work here! For God's sakes!"

"Sorry," both men muttered, looking down at their shoes.

"God," Rory huffed again. "What are you trying to work out, anyways?"

"I suggested 'The Nuclear Error'," Matt explained.

"And I told him it was stupid," Chris jumped in.

"Did you write them down on the board?" Rory asked, pointing towards the large whiteboard they had set up by their desks with all their ideas.

Matt shook his head and motioned to the chair she had sent him to.

"Go write it down," Rory huffed. "Honestly, it's like running a frigging daycare!"

"What is?" Jess asked, strolling into the store.

"This!" She cried, waving around the room. "Them! Now if you two are done screaming at each other like toddlers, I have a phone call to get back to."

The boys nodded sullenly, neither one of them brave enough to speak.

"You two are pathetic," Jess snorted. "She's not that scary."

"Do you want to test me, Mariano!?" Rory snapped at him, her finger hovering over the hold button on her phone.

"Nope," he shook his head quickly and inched towards her chair. "You're a force to be reckoned with."

"Go do something useful," she glared and knocked his hand away as he reached out.

"Yes, Dear." He nodded and scurried to his desk, exchanging a terrified look with his friends.

When Cynthia walked in to start her shift half an hour later, the boys were still sitting in their seats looking nervous.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking around the room.

"Rory's mad," Matt whispered loudly.

"And exactly what definition of mad are we using here?" Cynthia asked.

"I'm not mad!" Rory snapped. "I'm annoyed. You're acting like a bunch of petulant toddlers, and I'm tired of playing Kindergarten Teacher."

"I thought you said it was like daycare?" Jess corrected.

"Really?" She whipped her head around to glare at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled and stared intently at his computer screen.

"Okay," Cynthia nodded, sucking her teeth. "Hey, Ror, why don't we go have a girl's only chat upstairs."

"I'm busy," Rory told her, not looking away from her own computer.

"It'll keep," Cynthia promised. "Come on."

She walked over and took the other girl's arm, pulling her from her seat and towards the stairs, ignoring Rory's complaints until they were safely inside Matt and Chris's flat.

"Alright," she locked the door and turned around to face her friend. "What's got you so on edge?"

"Nothing," Rory sulked. "I'm just tired of them arguing about this stupid bar every five minutes. They just need to pick a damn name!"

"Is that really it?" Cynthia pushed. "Because you seem really off today. I mean, the boys have a healthy fear of you, sure, but today seems worse than usual."

"I just snapped at them," Rory explained. "I was in the middle of a call for Jess and they were screaming at each other like a bunch of lunatics and I just hit the boiling point. I'm fine."

"Okay..." Cynthia dragged the word out, obviously not completely believing the girl in front of her. "Look, Rory, I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but I think we're friends."

"We are," Rory assured her. "Of course we are."

"Good," Cynthia nodded. "So as your friend, you know you can talk to me about stuff. Any stuff."

"I know," Rory assured her. "And I appreciate it, really. But there's nothing I need to talk about, I promise. I just need these idiots to name their stupid bar."

"Alright, if you're sure."

"I am," Rory promised again.

"Then I can only see one solution. We need to have a meeting, tonight, and work this out once and for all. Before you kill them all."

"I can't promise that I won't kill them before tonight," Rory frowned. "But that sounds like a solid plan."

"Great," Cynthia smiled. "Now that that's settled, let's head back down and tell the boys they don't have to be scared anymore."

"I wouldn't go that far," Rory laughed. "It's so much nicer when they're scared I'm going to hurt them. It's so quiet."

"That's true," Cynthia mulled. "Maybe we'll just tell them about the meeting."

"I think that's an excellent plan." Rory smiled and linked their arms together before leading the way back to the store.

"Everything okay?" Jess asked when they came down, watching his girlfriend with concern.

"Fine," Cynthia shrugged. "But this bar thing needs to be sorted out. Today."

"But-" Matt started to argue, but immediately closed his mouth again when he saw the looks he was getting from both girls.

"This is getting settled tonight," Rory told them. "I don't care if it take the entire night, but so help me there is no way I will be listening to your arguments tomorrow."

"She's not wrong, guys," Jess shrugged. "We really do need to pick something."

"Fine," Matt agreed. "But there had better be food involved."

"Pizza?" Cynthia suggested.

"Chinese," Jess countered. "It's the best thinking food."

"That's true," Rory nodded.

The food arrived just as they were locking up for the night, and Rory made them all sit back down and stare at the whiteboard.

"We need to make some cuts," Jess finally spoke up. "I mean, some of these are just ridiculous."

"What are you talking about?" Matt cried.

"Really?" Rory frowned at him. "You really think we should call the place _Kool-Aid is Us_?"

"It definitely has it's good points."

"No," Cynthia shook her head. "It doesn't. Erase it."

Rory stuck her tongue out at him and picked up the eraser.

" _Rabbit_ _Hole_ can go too," Jess offered. "It's overdone."

" _Corner Soul_ ," Cynthia nixed.

" _The Garage,_ " Matt finally conceded.

"Nice of you to join the fun," Rory smiled at him and grabbed a spring roll from his plate.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!"

"You can get another," she shrugged.

They spent another two hours erasing ideas, finally narrowing it down to four options by the time the food was gone.

"Alright," Jess paced in front of the board. "This is good. This is progress."

"Great, now pick one."

"Okay, let's see," Matt started to pace as well. " _Ginsberg's Guttersnipes_."

"Valid option," Rory shrugged. "It's very snipey."

"Snipey?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not wrong," she shrugged. "I mean, it's in the name. Snipey, rebellious, punk rock, whatever you want to call it."

"Definitely falls into the theme we're going for," Chris nodded.

"Okay, what about Nembutal _and Alcohol_?" Jess read the next option on the list.

"Am I the only one detecting a theme here?" Chris asked.

"What kind of theme?" Cynthia frowned.

"They all have something to do with Clash songs," Rory smirked.

"Well they were the only band that mattered," Jess smirked back at her. "And did you really expect anything else? We named this place after a line in _London Calling_."

" _That's_ where you got the name?" Cynthia asked.

"Where did you think we got it from?" Matt laughed.

"I had no idea," she shrugged. "I just thought it was cool."

"Because it's from a Clash song," Rory justified. "It's physically impossible for Joe Strummer to say or do anything that isn't cool."

"Joe Strummer is dead," Matt pointed out.

"Hush!" Rory snapped. "We do not say those words out loud!"

"Sorry," he held his hands up in a placating gesture, biting his lip to keep a smile off his face.

"What does Nembutal _and Alcohol_ have to do with the Clash, though?" Chris frowned.

"It's a lyric from _The Right Profile,_ " Rory offered.

"How do you know that?" Chris gawked at her.

"I really like The Clash," Rory shrugged.

"But it was literally just off the top of your head," he argued. "You didn't even have to think about it!"

"It's a gift," she smirked.

"Ha!" Jess scoffed.

"Can I help you?" She raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

"Gift my ass," he challenged.

"What are you talking about? I'm fantastic at it!"

"Because I used to quiz you all the time!"

"And I got them right away then too," she crossed her arms. "You're just jealous."

"Whatever," Jess shook his head. "You and I both know I could kick your ass if it came down to it."

"Seriously?" Rory cried. "You're insane!"

"You want to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Anytime, anywhere!" Rory got to her feet. "Cynthia, go get your laptop."

"As much as I would love to help settle this, we have bigger issues right now," Cynthia shook her head. "But I would be more than happy to referee this competition later."

"Fine," Rory relented. "But this isn't over."

"Whatever, Gilmore," Jess snorted. "Just remember that you were the one who wanted to do this, once you lose."

"Guys," Chris interjected, laughing. "Can we refocus?"

Jess and Rory glared at each other for a few more seconds, then nodded and turned their attention back to the whiteboard.

" _The Crooked Beats_ ," Rory read out the next option. "I like it. There's a lot of references in there that fit with the theme."

"Sorry?" Cynthia frowned. "I'm not as educated in this crap as you seem to be."

"Did you just call our life's work crap?" Matt gasped at his girlfriend.

"In the most loving of ways," she confirmed, then turned to Rory for an explanation.

" _Crooked Beat_ is a Clash song," Rory filled her in. "And at the same time, it kind of points to the Beat generation, which we're all about here."

"Ah," Cynthia nodded. "Alright, I like it."

"Me too," Jess agreed. "Chris?"

"It's okay," he nodded. "But I think it sounds a little weird."

"Weird?" Matt asked.

"I don't know," Chris shrugged. "It just doesn't roll off the tongue."

"Alright," Jess shrugged. "Well, the last one is kind of a salute to this place. _The Truncheon Thing._ "

"I do like that," Matt frowned. "It makes it pretty obvious that we're connected."

"Yeah, but I think it's a little too matchy," Cynthia shook her head.

"I kind of agree with her," Rory nodded. "It just seems too... mainstream."

"Mainstream?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't think of a better word," Rory wrinkled her nose. "But you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," he nodded. "And I'm kind of with you on that."

"So I can knock this one off?" Jess checked.

"Knock it," Matt agreed.

"Alright. One down, three to go."

"What about just, _Crooked Beats_?" Rory offered.

"It's definitely an improvement," Matt nodded.

"It's better than _Ginsberg's Guttersnipes_ ," Jess agreed.

"Not liking that anymore?" Rory snickered.

"It's definitely losing it's charm," he nodded.

"I think we can knock it off," Chris agreed. "Matt?"

Matt waved for Jess to erase the name, leaving two options.

"So it's between _Crooked Beats_ and Nembutal _and Alcohol._ "

"I think we should sleep on it," Cynthia yawned. "We've been at this for hours now, I think we deserve a break."

"I second that," Chris stretched. "Why don't we reconvene tomorrow morning and cast our votes?"

"We're casting votes?" Rory asked.

"Seems like a pretty good idea," he shrugged. "There's five of us, we all have an opinion and we've narrowed it down to two names that we're all happy with. Voting just seems easiest."

"Sounds good to me," Matt agreed.

"It'll definitely put an end to all the arguing," Jess nodded.

"Fantastic!" Rory smiled. "I can put the time out chairs away."

"Okay, so everyone sleep on it and we'll vote in the morning," Cynthia smiled and got to her feet. "If there's nothing else to argue about, I'm going to bed."

"I kind of wanted to see which one of them really knows the most Clash lyrics," Matt admitted.

"Not tonight," his girlfriend shook her head. "I'm too tired to referee them."

"It's probably for the best," Rory shrugged. "I don't think Jess would be able to think about the bar names properly if he's busy sulking because he lost."

"You're cruisin for a bruisin, Gilmore," Jess shook his head.

"What are you, eighty?" Rory snorted. "Need me to help you up the stairs, Grandpa?"

Jess lunged for her, causing Rory to squeal and run for the stairs, Jess hot on her heels while the others watched them go, laughing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

When they voted the next morning, _Nembutal and Alcohol_ won by a landslide and Matt and Chris got on the phone to the lawyers to get the final paperwork moving right away. While they dealt with everything to do with the bar, Rory and Jess took care of Truncheon. They decided that Jess would run point at Truncheon while they made the bar their baby, with Rory and Cynthia to help him. On top of her daily duties at Truncheon, Rory put most of her energy into planning her and Jess's trip.

It only took her two weeks to finalize their itinerary thanks to constant phone calls and e-mails to every independent bookstore up and down the east coast, along with a few on the west coast, all her work culminating in a three week trip, starting with a week in California.

"Okay, so I'm going to bring up something you probably don't want to talk about," Rory told Jess the night they finalized their plans.

"That's a great way to start a conversation, Ror, really." Jess frowned and dropped onto the couch beside her. "What is it?"

"We're going to be in California for a week," she started. "And we're going to be spending our first two days in the Venice Beach area..."

"You want to know if I plan on seeing Jimmy," Jess concluded.

"Yes," she bit her lip nervously. They hadn't really talked about Jess's father that much, not since he had told her what happened after he left Stars Hollow, but for some reason Rory thought he might want to stop and see the man.

"I've been thinking about it," he admitted.

"And?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. "I mean, I don't even know if he still lives there. We don't exactly keep in touch."

"Fair enough," Rory nodded. "But if he _does_ still live there, would you want to see him?"

"Maybe," Jess sighed. "I mean, I'd kind of like to get the satisfaction of throwing my success in his face, but other than that..." He shrugged listlessly.

"Do you want me to see if I can track him down?" Rory offered. "That way, if you decide that you do want to see him, we'll know where he is."

"Thanks, but I think I'll do it myself," Jess shook his head. "Maybe if I find him I'll be able to make my mind up."

"Well, you've still got three weeks," Rory tried to comfort him. "There's no rush."

"I know," he sighed and rubbed his face. "So, other than that, what exactly do you have planned for this excursion?"

Rory opened her notebook and showed him all the pages of colour-coded, meticulously organized notes and plans she had layed out, including a list of every coffee shop and restaurant they needed to stop at in each city, all their flight and car rental information, and a map with every gas station and rest stop up and down the coast.

"Well at least we won't get lost," Jess chuckled. "Or run out of gas."

"I am nothing if not prepared," Rory grinned. "Seriously, the boy scouts wish they could be as good as me!"

"I'm sure," Jess leaned over and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded, slightly surprised by the sudden display of affection. When he didn't say anything else, she went back to making notes and babbling about each of the hotels they were staying in and how much travel time they would be clocking.

It was another week before Jimmy Mariano was discussed again, and this time it was Jess who brought it up. They were sitting in the store, Rory sitting on his desk as she told him about the latest article she had written for the 'Zine while Jess sat in his chair and edited.

"I want you to meet Jimmy," he interrupted her suddenly.

"What?" Rory looked down at him.

"I want you to meet him," Jess repeated. "I tracked him down, he's still living in the same place and I want you to meet him."

"Okay," Rory smiled. "I would love to meet him."

"Good," Jess nodded.

"Good," she echoed.

There was an awkward lapse in conversation as Jess contemplated seeing his father again and Rory smiled brightly at the fact that he wanted to share this part of his life with her- he was letting her in completely and totally, there was nothing left to hide from her, no more secrets.

As quickly as the silence had fallen, Rory filled it again, going back to telling him about her article and the fight she had had with Matt about it because he didn't like her take on the Slam Poetry scene in Philly.

"I wasn't aware there _was_ a slam poetry scene in Philly," Jess laughed.

"There isn't," she assured him. "Which is why Matt didn't like it. He's convinced that I just didn't look hard enough."

"He'll get over it," Jess shrugged. "Hey, can you take a look at this article Cynthia did? I don't think I'll have enough time to do it today."

"Sure," Rory took the article from him. "What's it about?"

"I think it's supposed to be a movie review, but she has a habit of turning reviews into long-winded rants about society and it's need to be overtly male."

"I knew there was a reason I liked her," Rory smiled.

She jumped off the desk and moved over to her own, pulling out a pen and starting in on the article, knowing that Jess was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Before they knew it, the trip was upon them. Jess had a suitcase full of proof copies and Rory had piles of notebooks and multiple copies of their itinerary.

"You're going to call, right?" Lorelai asked Rory the night before they left.

They were sitting in the diner waiting for Luke to finish work so they could go to the Gilmore's for Friday Night Dinner

"Of course I'm going to call," her daughter rolled her eyes. "I'll call just as much as I call now."

"You never call now," Lorelai complained.

"I call you every day!" Rory cried. "You're being a nutcase. Did you get my e-mail with our plans?"

"Yes, I did. I will be sure to alert the National Guard of your last known location if you get kidnapped," her mom said sarcastically.

"Don't mock!"

"I'm not mocking, I'm just remembering the _three days_ of Embassy calls we had to make when we got home from Europe thanks to your handy dandy schedules."

"Well now you know not to call every embassy and tell them I'm missing," Rory said. "Not that we plan on getting kidnapped or anything."

"Do people ever really plan to be kidnapped?"

"They do if they want to be in a Liam Neeson movie," Rory offered. "I mean, I'm sure that kid of his just calls her own kidnappers at this point."

"Good point. So what time is your flight in the morning?"

"7," Rory confirmed. "If everything goes to plan we'll be in Los Angeles by lunchtime. Then we head back on Monday morning, have a couple meetings in Hartford and then we go to Boston the next day."

"You're going to be very busy the next few weeks," Lorelai said appreciatively. "Are you sure you have time for dinner tonight? I mean, I'm sure Mom would understand."

"Who's Mom?" Rory scoffed. " _My_ mom, sure. _Yours_? Not so much. She's already mad that I'm not going to be at Friday Night Dinner for the next month."

"Fair point," Lorelai grimaced. "Well, I'll try to get you out of there as quickly as possible."

"Thanks."

"So, are you excited for the trip?" Lorelai changed the subject.

"Yeah," Rory grinned. "It's going to be great."

"I'm sure it is, Kid."

"Okay," Luke finally joined them, his baseball cap gone and a dress shirt replacing the usual plaid. "I'm ready."

"It's about time!" His wife sighed dramatically. "We were getting old here."

"Since when are you eager to get to your parent's house?"

"Good point. Come on." She jumped off her stool and started to lead their small group to the door.

"Bye Jess!" Rory called from the door, waving to her boyfriend, who was running the diner while Luke was gone.

"See you when you get back," he nodded.

The drive to Hartford was quiet, everyone dreading the evening ahead of them. The Gilmores had insisted that it was time for Luke to come to dinner again ever since Lorelai had told her parents about their marriage, arguing that they needed to be introduced as in-laws.

"It's amply appalling that we haven't seen the man since your wedding anniversary!" Emily had cried the week before. "It is unacceptable! I insist that you bring him!"

Lorelai and Rory had done their best to get him out of it, but Emily Gilmore was an unstoppable force once she set her mind to something.

"Is it going to be this terrible every time I come here?" Luke asked as they stood in the driveway, staring at the ominous looking door.

"Yes," the girls answered together.

Before any of them could work up the courage to ring the bell, the door flew open.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emily demanded. "Why are you just standing there?"

"We were practising our Jedi powers," Lorelai explained as they entered the house. "Trying to get the door to open with just our minds. Rory and I have been honing the power for years. I think we're really getting the hang of it!"

"I don't have the vaguest idea what you're talking about," her mother shook her head in annoyance.

"It's a movie, Grandma," Rory tried to explain. "It's not important, though."

"Hm. Hello, Luke. Nice to see you again."

"You too," Luke nodded awkwardly.

"Drinks?" Lorelai asked early, leading everyone into the living room.

"Lorelai, really," her mother rolled her eyes. "Would it kill you to wait five more seconds while I greet everyone?"

"It might, but let's not find out."

Rory followed her own mother into the living room, with her grandmother and Luke bringing up the rear.

"Hi, Grandpa!" She greeted the older man warmly, and sat on the couch beside him.

"Hello, Rory! How are you this evening?"

"I'm good."

"And how is your young man friend?"

"He's good too," Rory laughed.

"Where is he?" Her grandmother demanded. "I thought I told you to bring him."

"You told me I _could_ bring him," Rory corrected. "But I told you he couldn't come because he's finishing up a bunch of stuff for our trip tomorrow, and you wanted Luke to come."

"Well we need to meet him," she frowned. "You've been seeing this boy for close to a year, and we have yet to lay eyes on him."

"You have met him," Rory reminded her.

"Years ago, and for barely more than ten minutes," she shook her head. "And your grandfather has never met him. So I insist that you bring him next week."

"Rory won't be here next week, Mom," Lorelai piped up. "Remember? She's going with Jess to promote his book."

"Yes," Emily pursed her lips. "Of course. Well, when you get back then."

"I'll see what I can do," Rory promised.

"Fantastic," Lorelai smiled and jumped to her feet. "I need a refill, anyone else?"

"You've finished your martini already?" Emily demanded.

"I'm very talented. Refills?"

"I'll take one," Rory held out her glass.

"As will I," her grandfather nodded. "Thank you, Lorelai. Now, Rory, with Jess's new book coming out, I believe you promised me an advance copy."

"I know, I'm working on it," she promised. "It's just been crazy the last couple weeks, getting everything ready for this month, but I promise I'm having one mailed to you as soon as possible."

"Well I look forward to it. That's a talented young man you've got, and a talented nephew," he nodded to Luke. "You should be very proud."

"I am," Luke smiled.

"Luke, how is your daughter?" Emily asked suddenly.

"Um, she's good," Luke nodded awkwardly. "She's, uh, at a summer camp right now, for science or something and it sounds like she's really enjoying it. She's actually going to be staying with us for a while when school starts again."

"Well, that's nice," she smiled and turned to her daughter. "And have you met her yet?"

"Yes, Mom," Lorelai forced a smile onto her face. "We met before she went to camp. If I hadn't met her she wouldn't be coming to live with us for an unknown amount of time."

"Dinner is served," the maid announced from the doorway, interrupting the awkward line of questioning, much to Lorelai's relief.

"Great!" Rory jumped to her feet. "I'm starving. What are we eating?"

"Lamb," Emily led them into the dining room.

"Did you see her face when I reminded her about the trip?" Rory whispered, falling into step beside her mother.

"I did."

"She knows we live together, right?"

"I think so," Lorelai shrugged. "She's probably just in denial, like she was when she found out you were having sex."

"Fantastic," Rory frowned.

"What are you girls talking about?" Emily demanded. "It's very rude to have private conversations during dinner."

"Sorry Mom. We were just talking about how great dinner smells."

"I'm sure," she pursed her lips again. "So, Luke, how is your diner?"

"It's good," he shrugged. "People got to eat, right?"

"A fine philosophy," Richard nodded. "Have you given anymore thought to my franchising idea?"

"You know, I'm just not a franchise guy," Luke shook his head.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you come see me."

"I will do that," he promised. "The lamb is delicious, Emily."

"Look who's being Mr. Favourite son-in-law happy smile face," Lorelai mocked quietly beside him, earning herself an elbow to the ribs and a kick under the table from her daughter.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Emily smiled tightly. "My butcher had it flown in from New Zealand."

"First Class I hope."

"Well, it's very nice," Luke nodded again.

"It is," Rory agreed.

"It ought to be," Richard nodded approvingly. "We have cause to celebrate."

"Yes we do," his wife agreed.

Once dessert was finished, Rory tried to make her exit, but her grandmother insisted she stay for a night cap. The brandy was poured and Richard pulled out Lorelai and Luke's wedding present.

"You didn't have to get us anything," Lorelai lied, eagerly examining the package.

"You get married, you get a gift," her mother explained. "It's common courtesy- what are you doing?"

"Opening it," Lorelai responded slowly, picking at the tape.

"Goodness, you're as bad as a child. Just wait."

"My bad," Lorelai put her hands up and set them in her lap.

"Well, I would like to propose a toast," her father announced. "When Lorelai was no more than 10 years old, she marched into my office one day, looked me directly in the eye and said, 'When I grow up, I'm going to marry Tip O'Neill.' I swear to you, I nearly had a heart attack."

"I liked the name Tip," Lorelai tried to explain herself as everyone laughed. "I thought it was cute, like a bunny or a puppy."

"Well, I am happy that you two got married, and quite relieved not to have Tip O'Neill as a son-in-law," Richard continue. "Here's to your marriage- our heartfelt congratulations."

"And your gift, of course," her mother raised her glass.

"Which is crying out to be opened!" Lorelai nodded eagerly.

"It's just a little token to commemorate the occasion, though I know it's a little late, but we wanted to get you something special," her father explained.

"That was very thoughtful of you," Lorelai smiled and started to reach for the gift again. "Thank you. I love the look of the wrapping paper."

"To the happy couple," Richard raised his glass once more, stopping his daughter mid-reach.

"Not yet," she sighed.

"To Lorelai and Luke," he continued.

"Hear, hear!" Rory smiled and held up her own glass.

"To Lorelai and Luke," Emily joined in.

"Long may they live," Lorelai nodded. "Okay, time to open?"

"Yes, you may open it!" Emily sighed. "For heaven's sakes, you're like a dolphin at feeding time."

Lorelai ignored her mother and ripped the paper away to reveal what had to be the ugliest painting she had ever seen.

"Wow." She stared at the picture in shock. "I mean, d- I- it's- it's like, wow!"

She showed the picture to Luke, who was desperately trying to control his face.

"It's an etching by Kiki Smith," Emily smiled proudly.

"Oh, it's extraordinary, this item," Lorelai nodded, biting her lip.

"Wow." Luke agreed.

"Wow, right?"

"It's called _Wolf Girl_ ," Emily explained.

"Baldwin, our dealer, is a big fan of Kiki Smith," Richard joined in. "Apparently she's all the rage in New York."

"That was, uh, very... generous of you," Luke tried to smile.

"Oh, it's our pleasure!" Richard assured him. "Every young couple should cultivate an art collection."

"Well, this is gonna start ours off with a bang," Lorelai finally turned the picture around to show Rory, who gasped loudly and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I'm so happy you like it," Emily smiled. "We were flying blind without a gift registry."

"Well, you flew great, Mom."

"Of course I imagine it's difficult to have the forethought to register when you suddenly decide to elope."

"There it is," Lorelai mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I was just saying how great your gift is, even without a registry. You know, it all comes from the heart really."

"It's great Grandma," Rory nodded. "But, we really should be going. Jess and I have a really early flight tomorrow, and I still have to make sure everything is packed."

"I thought you said that he would be taking care of that?"

"He is, but I like to double check," Rory shrugged. "You can never be too thorough, right?"

"Absolutely," her grandfather agreed, getting to his feet. "Well, it was lovely seeing you before your trip, and I look forward to receiving that book."

"Thanks again for the amazing gift," Lorelai passed the picture off to Luke as she said good-bye. "We'll be sure to find a special place for it."

"I'm glad you like it," her mother smiled. "Well, we'll see you next week."

"Oh, but I thought, you know, with Rory being away-"

"See you Friday, Lorelai."

"See you Friday," she sighed and opened the front door.

When they got back into town, Rory rushed to the apartment above the diner to double check all the luggage and flight information.

"It's all there," Jess came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she reached for her suitcase. "You checked everything off the list as you put it in, you didn't miss anything. Do not open it again."

"But-"

"No." He pulled her back from the bags and over to their bed.

"Jess!" She complained.

"You've triple checked everything," he shook his head. "If you start sifting through it all again, you _will_ forget something. I'm just saving you from yourself."

"Oh is that all?" Rory rolled her eyes. "Did you want a medal or something?"

"I'd settle for a kiss," he shrugged.

Instead of a kiss, she leaned in and stuck her tongue out to lick the tip of his nose.

"I need to shower," she smirked and skipped off to the bathroom.

"You're a cruel woman!" Jess called after her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

They had to leave at five in the morning to get to the airport, much to Rory's chagrin.

Despite the copious amounts of coffee she had ingested back at the apartment, on the road and in the airport, she was still half asleep when they finally boarded the plane.

"God, why did we book such an early flight?!" She complained, putting her head on Jess's shoulder and looking out the window.

"Because we're stupid," Jess yawned. "Do they have coffee on this thing?"

"If they do it's going to suck," Rory cringed. "We're probably better off just sleeping some more."

"How can you sleep?" Jess gawked at her. "You have to have downed at least two pots by now!"

"And it has done absolutely nothing!" she complained. "Did you put decaf in there in an attempt to make me healthier."

"A) I think you would know if I had done that," Jess shook his head. "And B)I value my life, thank you."

"Good point," Rory yawned and closed her eyes.

"Put your seat belt on," Jess ordered. "At this rate you're going to be asleep before they finish boarding."

"Aye aye, Captain." Rory gave him a tired salute, did the belt up and rested her head on his arm again, dozing happily until they started preparing for take-off.

"Are you okay?" Jess asked when he noticed the vice-like grip she suddenly had on his arm and the way her legs wouldn't stop shaking.

"Fine," she gritted her teeth and made a conscious effort to stare straight ahead. "I just really hate the whole, take off and landing part of flying."

"Got it," Jess nodded and squeezed her hand. "So, I was thinking I would dedicate my next book to Hemingway."

"What?" She turned to him, looking partly terrified and partly confused.

"Yeah," Jess nodded. "I mean, he's had such a huge impact on my writing, and I don't really have anyone else to dedicate to. I already gave you one, so I'm out."

"Why are you telling me this right now?" Rory asked, looking around for the complimentary barf-bag.

"I thought it might distract you."

"Not so much," she shook her head nervously.

"Okay, I'll try something else," Jess nodded and wracked his brain quickly. "I've decided we're going to get married."

"Excuse me!?"

"Yep, that's what I've decided. I was going to ask you, but then I thought that would be a little too old fashioned, so I just made the decision on my own. I hope you don't mind."

"You're insane," Rory stared at him. "Certifiable! You have flipped your lid. Charlie Manson is freaked out by you!"

"Wow, that's a pretty intense level of crazy," Jess nodded appreciatively. "I wonder where _you_ would rank on that scale."

Rory continued to gawk at him, unsure of what to do with the information she had just been given, until the overhead speakers came on and the captain announced that they had reached cruising altitude, at which point Jess grinned.

"You are terrible," Rory shook her head. "You are a terrible person, and when we get off this plane I am going to kill you. For real this time!"

"It worked, didn't it?"

"God, what possessed me to go on this trip with you?"

"The same thing that possesses you to live with me," Jess shrugged.

"The book collection," Rory answered at the same time Jess said, "The mind-blowing sex."

"You're ridiculous," she laughed and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"Anytime. And I really did mean it, by the way."

"What?" She looked back at him.

"I did decide to marry you," he elaborated.

"Oh really? And when did you come to that decision?" Rory asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"About five minutes after I picked you up in Hartford."

"And when exactly do you plan on asking _my_ opinion on this whole marriage thing?"

"I haven't decided yet," he shrugged. "I'll let you know, though."

"You do that," Rory smiled and put her head back down. "I'm going to go to sleep now."

Jess turned his head and kissed her, then pulled out the blanket the stewardess had provided and covered her with it before pulling out his book.

Rory slept for the first three hours of the flight, but was woken when they hit a stretch of turbulence, prompting Jess to spend half an hour trying to convince her that they weren't going to die.

"We're fine," he assured her repeatedly.

"Uh-huh." She gripped his hand so tight that he thought he was going to lose all circulation and stared straight ahead, a look of terror in her eyes, trying to remember how to breath.

When the seat belt sign finally turned off again, Jess reached out and pulled her into his lap.

"See?" He kissed her cheek. "Everything's fine."

"I hate flying," she gasped, burrowing into him.

"I'm getting that impression," he nodded. "Which is why I'm wondering what possessed you to agree to this trip?"

"I wanted to come," she shrugged. "I didn't want you to go by yourself and have to spend another month apart."

"Okay," he shrugged. "But why don't you go see a doctor or something? Get something to calm you down while you're flying."

"Because I'm stubborn."

"Really?" Jess asked sarcastically. "I would never have pegged you as stubborn!"

"Shut up," she shoved his shoulder.

"Sorry. Maybe when we get back to Connecticut you should see someone, though."

"I'll think about it," she relented.

"Good. Where are you going?" He held onto her waist as she tried to get up.

"I was going to sit in my own chair."

"But I like having you here," he argued. "You make a good heating blanket."

"Well at least I know why you keep me around," Rory smiled.

Ignoring his pleas to stay where she was, she sat back down in her own seat and cuddled into his shoulder. "Read to me?"

"I don't think the rest of the people on this plane would appreciate that," Jess frowned, looking around at the other passengers, who were already staring at them.

"Do it quietly. Please, Jess?" She gave him her coveted 'Rory Eyes', knowing that he wouldn't be able to say no.

"Manipulator," Jess chastised, but opened his book again and flipped back to the beginning of the chapter.

" _When the Dodger and his accomplished friend Master Bates joined in the hue and cry which was raised at Oliver's heels, in consequence of their executing an illegal conveyance of Mr. Brownlow's personal property, as hath been already described with great perspicuity in a foregoing chapter..."_

Rory closed her eyes as he read, letting Mr. Dickens' words wash over her as she pictured the scene.

They stayed like that until the stewardess announced that they were approaching the airport, at which point Rory sat back in her seat and focused on not having a panic attack. When the wheels finally touched the ground, she could have cried from relief.

"Okay, I'm getting you some sort of tranquilizer for the flight home," Jess announced when he saw how pale she had gone.

"Or you could get me drunk."

"That's definitely another option. You ready?" He offered her his hand, knowing she would be a little unsteady on her feet, then grabbed their carry-on and joined the queue to get off the plane.

They picked up the rental car outside of the airport and headed straight to the hotel, with the help of Rory's notes and the GPS. They were staying in a Holiday Inn in Santa Monica, a twenty minute drive from the airport, but as soon as they left the building Rory was on the look out for food and coffee.

"I'm starving!" She complained, pulling on his arm. "And I need coffee."

"We'll stop somewhere," Jess promised. "Just get in the car."

"Well," Rory huffed. "That's a little rude, don't you think?"

"I promised to feed you, didn't I?"

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and got into the passenger seat.

They had been on the freeway for less than five minutes when Rory started yelling at him to take the next exit.

"There's an In N' Out!" She screeched, waving at the sign frantically. "In N' Out! In N' Out!"

"Tranquilizers would have been so useful right now," Jess shook his head.

Once they had eaten, they got to their hotel and got settled.

"This is the most comfortable bed ever," Rory announced. "I never want to leave."

"I wouldn't know, you're hogging the entire mattress," Jess rolled his eyes.

Instead of moving, Rory spread her arms and legs as wide as she could.

"All the space!" She sighed happily.

Jess raised an eyebrow in challenge and when she still didn't move he fell onto the bed, landing right on top of her.

"Oof!" She groaned. "Get off!"

"Ah, all the space!" Jess echoed her previous comment.

"You're crushing me!" Rory cried, smacking his arm until he moved enough for her to roll out from under him.

"You're right, this bed _is_ really comfortable," he smirked.

"I'm going to smother you in your sleep," she glared at him.

"No you're not," he pulled her up to lay on his chest. "You'd never be able to get home without me there to stop you from pulling the emergency latch on the plane."

"I could drive."

"Sure," he nodded. "So, what do you have on your itinerary today?"

"Nothing."

"Seriously?" Jess propped himself up on his elbows to look at her.

"Seriously," she agreed. "I figured we would be wiped from flying- well, I figured _I_ would be wiped. So I left today for us. Tomorrow we have meetings at a bunch of bookstores here and over in Venice."

"And we're planning to stop by and see Jimmy?"

"If that's what you want," Rory nodded. "Or we could go see him today."

"There _is_ this really great book store I found before, on the boardwalk," Jess mused. "If it's still open, you'd love it."

"Okay."

They lay quietly for a few minutes until Rory spoke again.

"You know to do that we have to get up."

"I know," Jess nodded. "Just a few more minutes."

"Okay," she smiled and put her head back on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

They spent a few hours browsing through bookstores up and down the boardwalk while Jess fidgeted nervously, unable to focus on anything for more than a few minutes.

"You know we don't have to see him," Rory finally acknowledged his twitching.

"I know."

"Then why do you look like a strung out meth addict?" She crossed her arms.

"I just haven't talked to the guy since I crashed on his couch for a month after high school," Jess shrugged.

"You're nervous," Rory stroked his cheek lovingly.

"I'm not nervous," he grumbled, pulling away from her.

"You are!" She smiled. "It's adorable, and completely normal. I mean, I have the vaguest semblance of a relationship with my father and I get nervous whenever he shows up."

"That's not nerves, that's PTSD," Jess informed her.

"You're being overly dramatic. It's going to be fine."

"I know it is," he shrugged. "I'm just... nervous."

"The first step is admitting it," she patted his arm. "Are you ready?"

"If I have to be."

"Come on, Sulky. Maybe he won't be home."

They left the car in a parking structure and walked to Jimmy and Sasha's house.

"Jess?!" A teenage girl with red glasses came hurtling through the doorway as they approached and met them at the gate, followed by a hoard of dogs.

"Who's that?" Rory frowned.

"Jimmy's girlfriend's daughter, Lily."

"Got it," Rory nodded and smiled at the girl.

"Jess what are you doing here?!" Lily demanded, yelling over the barking dogs.

"Just stopping by to say hi," Jess shrugged. "You want to call off the mutts?"

There was a loud whistle from the doorway and the dogs fell back.

"Lily, who is it?" A woman, Rory assumed it was Sasha, called from the doorway.

"It's Jess," her daughter called back.

"Well bring him in, I'll call Jimmy."

"No, that's okay!" Jess tried to stop her, but she had already disappeared inside.

Lily held the gate open for them, eyeing Rory suspiciously.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"This is Rory," Jess introduced. "She's my girlfriend. Rory, this is Lily."

"Nice to meet you," Rory smiled and shook the girl's hand.

"Jess talked about you a lot," Lily said quietly.

"He did?" Rory smirked up at her boyfriend. "And what did he say?"

"That you liked books and he ruined you."

"Well, he got the first part right."

Rory looked up at Jess and laughed when she saw how red his face was.

"Don't be embarrassed! I think it's cute!"

"Let's just go inside," he grumbled.

"How many pets do they have?" Rory asked, looking around the yard at all the dogs and cats, there had to be at least twenty.

"If it has four legs, Sasha's willing to let it live here," Jess rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous."

"I'll say."

They finally made it into the house and were lead into the kitchen.

"So what are you doing here?" Sasha asked, putting down the phone and turning to face Jess. "And who's your friend?"

"This is Rory," Jess introduced. "Rory, this is Jimmy's girlfriend Sasha."

"Nice to meet you," Rory waved shyly.

The woman in front of her was obviously a hippie, with her hair covered by a scarf and a loose fitting shirt over a tank top. Rory got the feeling that this was what her own mother would have looked like if they had moved to California, instead of Stars Hollow, just without all the pets.

"Nice to meet you too," she smiled warmly. "So what brings you here? You in trouble?"

"Why is that always your first assumption?" Jess crossed his arms.

"Because the last time you showed up here you looked like James Dean and you had just dropped out of high school."

"Well I'm not in trouble. We just wanted to stop by and say hi, I'm in the area for work."

"Oh yeah?" Sasha seemed to relax at this announcement. "What kind of work."

"Publishing," Jess answered vaguely.

"He wrote a book," Rory elaborated. "We're out here to do some promotion work and get it into a couple stores."

"Wow," Sasha smiled and pulled him into a hug, much to Jess's dismay. "A book! That's amazing. Wait till your dad hears!"

"Wait till I hear what?" A scruffy looking man in a baggy hoodie and flip flops appeared in the doorway, "Hey, Jess."

Jess turned around to face the man, nodding awkwardly. Standing across from each other, both staring at the ground, Rory could definitely see the resemblance. They had the same dower demeanour and the same jaw line.

"Uh, hi," she spoke up to fill the silence. "I'm Rory, Jess's girlfriend."

"Jimmy," he reached out and shook her hand. "So, uh, what brings you here?"

"I'm in the area for work," Jess repeated. "I'm promoting my book."

"Your book?" Jimmy's eyebrows shot up. "You wrote a book?"

"Two, actually," Jess nodded.

"Wow, that's... that's amazing!" Jimmy seemed to be about to hug him, but Jess inched away and put an arm around Rory.

"Thanks," he nodded. "I, uh, I just thought I'd stop by while we were here, since we haven't really kept in touch."

"Yeah," Jimmy looked at the floor, guiltily and Rory noticed that Sasha was glaring at him too. "Sorry about that, I, uh, the shack's been, uh, busy, and-"

"Whatever," Jess shrugged. "It is what it is. We were just in the neighbourhood."

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Sasha offered. "We could order pizza or something?"

"No, thanks." Jess shook his head. "We have to get back to the hotel soon."

"Hey, Lily, why don't you go show Rory the library?" Sasha suggested. "Give Jess and Jimmy a few minutes to catch up."

Rory looked up at Jess, giving him a questioning look, when he nodded, she smiled at the girl and nodded.

"I'd love to see the library."

"Okay," Lily smiled back and led her out of the kitchen and into a room that was completely covered in books, every wall and flat surface was piled high.

"Wow," she nodded appreciatively. "Who's books are these?"

"Jimmy's mostly, but some of them are mine."

"You like to read?" Rory asked, scanning the spines of some of the older looking books.

"It's my favourite thing."

"Mine too," Rory grinned at the girl. "And Jess's, but you probably noticed that when he was here before."

"Yeah, he used to sit in here and read while I read in the cupboard."

"In the cupboard?" Rory frowned.

"I like small, confined spaces," Lily explained. "I sit in that cupboard and read. It's nice and quiet."

"A little too Harry Potter for my taste, but cool," Rory chuckled. "Do you have a favourite book?"

Rory cringed as she listened to the voices from the next room, which were becoming increasingly louder with every passing minute. She knew she shouldn't have left them alone. Lily seemed not to have noticed yet, so Rory turned back to her and tried to pay attention while she explained that she was split between two favourites, _A Tale of Two Cities_ and _Ramona and Beezus._

"Those are two very different genres," Rory pointed out, trying to speak over the yelling.

"I know," Lily laughed. "But they're both so good."

"Well I can't argue with that."

" _What else would I write about!_ " Jess suddenly yelled, making Lily jump and Rory wince.

"Guys!" Sasha seemed to be trying to calm the two men down, but it obviously wasn't working.

"I'm sorry," Rory apologized to Lily and got to her feet. "I should probably-"

The younger girl nodded and picked up a book, then crawled under a table and pulled a blanket down to hide behind.

"Well that's one way of coping," Rory muttered as she hurried out of the room.

She made her way back to the kitchen to find Sasha standing in the doorway looking worried while Jess and Jimmy stood within inches of each other, screaming.

"If you didn't want me to write about it, then you shouldn't have walked away before you even gave me a chance!"

"I _was_ giving you a chance!" Jimmy spat back. "I was giving you the best chance I could! I told you, I was no good for you!"

"You could have been!" Jess countered. "You could have grown up and taken on your responsibilities as a father instead of leaving me with a drug addict and her revolving door of abusive boyfriends!"

"How was I supposed to know that's what would happen?!" Jimmy was demanding.

"Would you have stayed if you'd known?!" Jess challenged.

"Of course!"

"Ha!" Jess spat.

"Fine, I don't know," he conceded. "But I would have tried."

"You should have tried anyways." Jess looked over and saw Rory standing in the doorway, a worried frown on her face. "Look, this was a bad idea. We're gonna go."

"You can't publish that book!" Jimmy crossed him arms.

"I'll publish whatever I damn well please!" Jess snapped. "If you don't like it, then don't read it. It's not like you've tried to be a part of anything else I've ever done."

With those final shots, Jess walked past his father and grabbed Rory's arm, pulling her out the front door and through the gate, back towards the boardwalk.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Jess shaking with anger, until Rory finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"For what?"

"For suggesting we go see him. You didn't want to and I pushed and-"

"You didn't push," Jess stopped walking and turned to face her. "I wanted to see him. This was my decision."

"But-"

"No," he shook his head. "You were the one who kept saying we didn't have to go. I thought I needed him to know that I had made something out of myself, but I was wrong. I made the wrong decision, but now it's done and we can just forget about the whole thing."

"Okay," Rory sighed. "If that's what you want."

"It is."

"You don't want to talk about-"

"Not right now, Rory," he shook his head. "I just want to forget about it right now."

"Okay," she agreed, rather reluctantly.

They turned and started walking again, and after a they had walked a block or so Jess took her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Who needs them anyways," he muttered after a while.

"Jimmy and Sasha?" Rory asked.

"No, fathers in general. Who needs them? We have Luke, that's good enough for me."

"Me too," Rory smiled softly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The rest of their week wasn't anywhere near as eventful as the first night. Jess was able to get a few of the stores he met with to order copies of his book with the help of Rory's raving reviews, and by the end of the week he was happy with the work he had done. Chris and Matt were equally as thrilled when Rory called to tell them how many books to send out the night before they left.

"That's amazing!" Matt gushed. "Thirteen stores?!"

"Yep," Rory beamed at Jess, who was lying on the bed in their hotel room. "For some reason people seemed to really like him. Who knew, right?"

"Hey!" Jess threw a pillow at her.

"I think you might have something to do with that," Matt laughed. "Okay, I'll get the order into the printer tomorrow morning. When will you be back here?"

"Two weeks," Rory rolled her eyes. "And just because you keep nagging me about it, doesn't mean we're going to be coming back any sooner."

"But Rory!" he whined.

"We fly back to Hartford tomorrow and hit a couple stores there, then we're driving to Boston for a couple days, then a couple stores in Maine, four days in New York and three days in Pittsburgh, and then we will be home."

"That's so long!"

"Matthew, you are a grown man," Rory scolded. "You are perfectly capable of surviving without us for a few weeks. And besides that, Cynthia is there to keep you fed and watered. Man up!"

"You're mean!"

"And you're petulant. Anything else you'd to discuss?"

"No, have a safe flight tomorrow."

"Thanks. Talk to you later." Rory hung up and grabbed the pillow Jess had thrown at her, jumping on the bed and putting it over his face as he laughed at her.

"Hey!" He protested, rolling on top of her and throwing the pillow away. "It's not nice to try and suffocate your boyfriend."

"I wasn't trying to suffocate you," Rory replied innocently. "I was just trying to teach you a lesson."

"Kinky."

Rory snorted and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Did you set the alarm for tomorrow?" She asked. "We need to be out of here by six."

"I set the alarm," Jess promised. "And the suitcases are packed and everything is ready."

"Great," Rory yawned. "Goodnight."

The next morning, they had breakfast at the Denny's attached to their hotel, then headed for the airport.

"Did you take those sleeping pills yet?" Jess asked as they got their bags out of the car. He had finally convinced her to get some from the local drugstore the day before.

"No, I was going to take them on the plane."

"Take them now," Jess shook his head. "That way they'll kick in before take off."

"Okay," Rory shrugged and fished the pills out of her bag, along with a bottle of water. She read the side of the bottle carefully, then took two. "If these kick in before we board, you better be prepared to carry me."

"Okay," Jess laughed.

Thankfully the pills didn't kick in before they made it through security, but Rory was definitely getting groggy as they sat and waited for their boarding call.

"You good?" Jess asked when she put her head on his shoulder and tucked her feet under her.

"Mm hmm," she nodded sleepily.

"You gonna make it onto the plane?"

"What plane?"

"Never mind," Jess chuckled.

"Okay."

A couple minutes later they started boarding, and Jess was able to manoeuvre Rory into her seat and fastened her seat belt without too much difficulty.

"What's going on?" She asked drowsily, pushing his hands away from her waist.

"Nothing," Jess assured her. "Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep."

He sat back in his own seat and let her rest her head on his arm.

"Okay," she nodded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jess smiled and kissed her forehead, then pulled his book out of her purse and settled in for the six hour flight.

The next thing Rory knew, Jess was shaking her awake after they had landed.

"Hey," he smiled at her as she opened her eyes. "We're here."

"What?" Rory frowned and rubbed her eyes.

"We landed," Jess explained. "We're in Hartford."

"Already?"

"It's been seven hours," Jess chuckled. "Come on, we have to get off the plane now."

"Okay," Rory stretched and got to her feet shakily, not having fully recovered from side effects of the pills.

They made their way through security and retrieved their luggage before heading for the parking structure Jess had left his car in.

"Do you want me to drop you off at your grandparents or something before I go talk to Greg?" Jess asked her as he put their suitcases in the trunk, referring to the store owner that had promoted his last book. "You still seem pretty tired."

That was a bit of an understatement, seeing as he had practically carried her through the airport, and now had her leaning against the car just to stay on her feet.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Rory nodded. "Those pills pack a serious punch."

"Alright," Jess nodded. "Let's get going then."

Once they were in the car, Rory pulled her phone out and called the Gilmore house to inform them of her imminent arrival, doing her best not to sound too loopy when the maid patched her through to her grandfather.

"Hi, Grandpa."

"Rory!" She could hear the smile in his voice. "How good to hear from you. How is California?"

"It was great. We actually just got back and I was hoping to come spend a couple hours at the house, if that's okay."

"Of course! You're always welcome here. When do you think you'll be arriving?"

"Um," Rory looked out the window to try and get a time frame. "Maybe twenty minutes? We just left the airport."

"Alright, I'll see you in twenty minutes."

They hung up and Rory leaned against the window, her eyes drifting closed again.

"Why don't you try to stay awake until you get there?" Jess suggested. "If you keep sleeping sitting up you're going to hurt your neck."

"I'll be fine," she mumbled, waving him off.

"If you say so. Don't come crying to me when you need a neck rub," Jess threatened.

Rory ignored him and closed her eyes again, immediately drifting back to sleep.

Jess hadn't been to the Gilmore house in a while, but he was able to get them there without waking Rory for directions. He thought that she would wake up when the car stopped, but she continued to sleep soundly. Instead of waking her up again, Jess got out of the car and rang the doorbell. When the maid answered, he sent her to get Mr. Gilmore and went to retrieve Rory from the car.

"Ror," he whispered. "We're here."

"Again?" Rory frowned. "I thought we already left the airport."

"We did," Jess laughed. "We're at your grandparents house, remember? You're going to rest here for a bit while I go sell my soul."

"Right," she nodded.

"Rory?" Richard Gilmore exited the house and approached the car. "Are you alright?"

"Mm hm." She nodded drowsily, prompting her grandfather to look over at Jess in concern.

"She took a couple sleeping pills before the flight," he explained. "She's still a little drowsy."

"Ah, well then let's get her inside so she can rest. You must be Jess."

"Oh, um, yeah. Nice to meet you," Jess nodded awkwardly.

"Oh yeah," Rory spoke slowly. "Grandpa, this is Jess. Jess, Grandpa."

"I'm sure we'll have more time to get acquainted later," her grandfather chuckled. "For now, why don't we get you inside."

"I'm fine," Rory shook her head. "I want to visit."

"And we will," he promised. "But first, I think you could do with a little more rest."

"I second that," Jess agreed. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty."

He reached into the car and helped her up, then lead her into the house, following Richard up the stairs to her old bedroom.

"Ugh," she groaned as they reached the door. "I hate this room."

"I'll be sure to tell your grandmother you said that," Richard chuckled. "You sleep, I'll be downstairs when you wake up."

Rory nodded and waved weakly before falling onto the bed.

"Remind me to bring a video camera the next time you take sleeping pills," Jess laughed at her. "They really do a number on you."

"I hate you," Rory mumbled into a pillow.

"I know." Jess leaned down and lifted her legs onto the mattress, then covered her with a blanket. "I'll be back to get you in a few hours."

He kissed her forehead and headed back to the car, passing Richard's office on his way out.

"Hold on a moment, Jess!" Richard stopped him, getting up from his desk. "Would you like some coffee, or a drink?"

"No, thank you Sir," Jess shook his head. "I actually have a couple meetings around town to get to."

"Ah, yes, your new book. Rory's told me all about it. How has your distribution been going to far?"

"Really well, we got it in a bunch of stores out in California and I have a good feeling about the meetings today."

"Well that's wonderful, my boy!" Richard patted him on the back in congratulations. "I look forward to reading it."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Please, call me Richard," he smiled warmly. "You seem to be quite involved in Rory's life, and I get the feeling you won't be going anywhere any time soon. I think we should be on a first-name basis."

"Thank you, Sir- I mean, Richard," Jess smiled sheepishly.

"Will you stay for dinner this evening? I'm sure Emily would like to catch up with the both of you. She's wanted you to come for dinner for months now."

"I'm sure Rory would like that too," Jess agreed. "We'd be happy to stay."

"Wonderful!" Richard beamed. "We'll see you after your meetings, then. And we can get to know each other properly. You can tell me all about your latest masterpiece."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a masterpiece," Jess rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"You obviously haven't been talking to Rory then," Richard laughed. "To hear her describe it, you would think it had been written by Shakespeare himself."

"She can be a little over enthusiastic," Jess shook his head. "But I appreciate the sentiment. Anyways, I, uh." He pointed towards the door and Richard nodded.

"Of course, your meetings. I won't keep you any longer. We'll see you later this evening."

Jess nodded and made his way to the door, leaving Richard to return to his office.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Rory woke up a few hours later, slightly disoriented, but well rested. The effects of the pills had finally worn off and she made a mental note not to take sleeping pills again any time soon. It took a few minutes for her to remember where she was, the throw pillows were what gave it away and she let out a heavy sigh. After making sure she didn't look like a strung out meth addict, she made her way downstairs in search of coffee, only to find her grandmother holding a D.A.R meeting on the patio.

"Rory!" The older woman cried, waving her outside. "Ladies, you remember my granddaughter, Rory."

"Of course we do, we've been lost without her these past months!" Nora, one of Rory's favourite members, cried. "Rory, dear, how are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. How are you all doing?"

"We're wonderful," one of the other women answered.

"Won't you join us?" Nora offered, holding up a glass that Rory was sure was full of scotch, and not the iced tea everyone else seemed to be drinking. "Have a drink!"

"You know, I would, but I have to make a couple calls for work. I was just coming down to get some coffee."

"Of course," Emily smiled tightly. "Maria can make you some, she should be in the kitchen."

"Thanks," Rory nodded and turned to the other women in the circle. "It was nice to see you all again."

"Do come to an event soon," Nora encouraged. "We've missed your wit and charm."

"I'll do my best," Rory lied, retreating back into the house as quickly as she could.

The kitchen was empty, but Rory was more than sufficient in the art of making coffee. After making a pot strong enough to make her mother proud, she went in search of her grandfather, figuring she would find him in his office. Though the door was open, she knocked on the frame and stuck her head inside first. Richard was on the phone, but eagerly waved at her to take a seat in one of the armchairs across from his desk.

"Yes, well I'm sure something can be arranged," he was saying into the receiver. "If you call my office, my secretary will set something up... Yes... Yes... Alright, I look forward to it. Goodbye."

He put the receiver down and turned to his granddaughter, smiling broadly.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty well," Rory nodded. "I just made some coffee, do you want some?"

"No, thank you. I have to keep my caffeine intake down these days. So, tell me all about your time in California." He settled into his chair and waited expectantly as Rory took another sip of her coffee and started to recount their trip so far.

"So now we've got thirteen stores," she summed up. "On top of Truncheon, and the stores that are already selling his book."

"Well that's wonderful," her grandfather nodded appreciatively. "I'm very happy for Jess."

"Me too," Rory beamed. "I'm just so proud of him."

"And so you should be. He said the two of you would be able to stay for dinner, I know your grandmother wants to be able to chat with you without the biddies from the D.A.R hovering. And I would definitely like to get to know Jess better."

"Grandpa," Rory jokingly scolded. "You know, _I'm_ a D.A.R biddy."

"You most certainly are not," he shook his head. "You have quite a ways to go before you're that old."

"Are you calling Grandma old?"

"Of course not!" He faked indignation. "I would never do such a thing! I am quite happy living, and I have no intention of changing that."

"Don't worry," Rory laughed. "I won't tell her you said it."

"I'm glad."

Before he could ask about Rory's plans for the coming school year, the maid appeared in the doorway to announce that, 'The gentleman from earlier in the day was back'. Rory figured she meant Jess, so she excused herself to go get him.

"Hey," she smiled and hugged him. "How did the meetings go? How was Greg?"

"Greg was psyched to read it, he was ready to start selling proof copies when I left."

"That's great! What about the other place?"

"Willing to give me a shot," he grinned.

"Well they obviously have good taste," Rory reached up and kissed him. "So we're staying for dinner?"

"I figured you would want to," he shrugged. "If not, I can always come up with a good excuse."

"I just didn't think _you_ would want to, seeing as you don't have the best track record."

"I've changed," he shrugged. "And besides, I promised you a next time."

"You did," Rory agreed.

"And your Grandpa seems pretty nice."

"Right, sorry about earlier," Rory grimaced. "I forgot you two had never really met."

"We made do," Jess assured her. "Apparently I had some pretty good references."

"Jess!" Richard exited his study and smiled at the two young people standing in the foyer. "How did your meetings go?"

"Great," Jess smiled at him. "I got four more shops under my belt."

"Well I think that deserves a drink, don't you?"

"Absolutely!" Rory answered before Jess could. "Let's have a drink."

"Try not to sound so excited," Jess snickered as they headed into the living room.

"Hey, I have learned that it's always best to involve liquor when introducing Emily Gilmore to a suitor," Rory shrugged. "Luke will back me up."

"Luke introduces suitors to your grandmother?"

"You know what I mean," Rory elbowed her boyfriend. "Believe me, you're going to be thankful for the pre-drinking when she comes in."

"Comes in?" Jess asked.

"She's on the patio with her D.A.R friends," she explained.

"Scotch?" Richard asked as they joined him.

"Sounds good," Jess nodded.

"Rory?" Her grandfather turned to her.

"Fill me up," Rory nodded.

The glasses were handed out and Richard raised his.

"To your success and happiness," he smiled at them. "Both of you."

"Here, here!" Rory grinned and clinked her glass with Jess's.

"So, Jess, tell me about yourself," Richard sat and smiled warmly at the boy.

"Uh, well what do you want to know?" Jess asked nervously.

"What drew you to writing?" Richard asked.

"Mostly just my love of books," Jess shrugged. "I figured I'd read more than the average person, so I might as well give it a try. I never actually thought anything would come of it, but then I met my partners and things just kind of fell into place."

"Well you've obviously got a talent," Richard conceded. "I couldn't put your first book down when Rory gave it to me."

"Thanks."

"And aside from work?" Richard asked. "What's your family like?"

"Well-"

"Grandpa-" Rory started to interrupt, but Jess squeezed her hand to stop her.

"I grew up in New York," he started. "With my Mom."

"Whereabouts in the city?"

"Washington Square Park area." Noting the slight frown on Richard's face, Jess was quick to explain himself. "We didn't really have a lot of money."

"Well that doesn't seem to have hindered you in the slightest," the older man smiled kindly. "Do you attend school?"

"No," Jess shook his head. "I got my G.E.D a couple years ago."

"Well I suppose owning your own business doesn't leave much time for those things. Would you ever be interested in going back?"

"I don't think so. I've never really done well in a classroom environment."

Much to Rory's surprise, her grandfather barely even reacted to this statement. Instead, he continued to smile and nod, then moved on to asking Jess if he had any ideas for another book yet. As her grandfather and boyfriend chatted amicably, Rory realized how far they had come since she had brought her first boy over. Her grandfather had finally reached a point where he trusted Rory's judgement, and better yet, he seemed to like Jess just as much as he had liked Logan- probably more so. The thought made her smile and squeeze Jess's hand, causing him to look over and give her a questioning look. She just smiled brightly at him and turned back to her grandfather.

"So, Rory what are your plans for your senior year?" He asked, moving his attention off of Jess. "Have you decided what classes you're going to be taking?"

"Mostly," she nodded. "I just haven't made up my mind about what extra classes I want to take."

"Extra?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

"The classes that I don't have to take to get my degree," she expanded.

"Well you have a few more weeks to figure it out," Richard offered. "Just don't work yourself too hard. Your senior year of college should be fun."

"I won't," Rory promised. "So, Grandpa, what's new with you?"

"Oh not very much. The life of an old man like me doesn't change very much in just two weeks."

"Nothing interesting happening at work?"

"Nothing that would interest the two of you," he assured her.

They chatted about books and music, Richard enjoying getting to know his granddaughter's boyfriend better, until the D.A.R tea was finished and Emily joined them.

"Oh, you're still here!" She seemed surprised to find Rory and Jess sitting in her living room.

"Um, yeah," Rory nodded awkwardly. "Grandpa asked us to stay for dinner. I thought he would have told you."

"No," she gave her husband a tight smile. "Did you remember to tell the cook?"

"Yes I did, Emily. Would you like a drink?" Richard asked.

"No, thank you."

Jess and Rory exchanged glances, both wondering where exactly the cold shoulder was coming from.

"So, uh, Grandma," Rory filled the silence. "This is Jess."

Jess jumped up to shake the older woman's hand.

"Yes, I know who this is," she ignored his offer. "We've met before."

"Well you seemed to want to meet again," Rory shrugged. "At least that's what you've been saying for the last five months."

When her grandmother gave nothing more than a sniff in response, Rory looked to her grandfather for help.

"So, Emily, how has your day been?" He asked quickly. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Oh, nothing too interesting," the older woman shrugged and turned back to her granddaughter. "How was your _trip._ "

She said the word 'trip' as though they had been working on their 'Bonnie and Clyde' routine, committing crimes all across the country.

"It was good," Rory smiled.

"Yeah, I got my book into a bunch of stores," Jess agreed, hoping this would impress Rory's grandmother as much as it had impressed Richard.

"How nice," Emily nodded. "And what kind of stores are these, exactly?"

"Independently owned bookstores mostly, a couple of popular coffee shops."

"And he just got picked up by a couple of stores here in Hartford," Rory added.

"Well that's lovely," Emily got to her feet. "I'm going to go see how dinner is coming along."

As she left the room, Rory looked at her Grandfather questioningly, but he just smiled and pretended nothing was wrong.

"So, where are you two staying?"

"I think we're going to head back to Stars Hollow," Rory looked to Jess for confirmation. "Crash in the apartment above the diner before we head into Boston tomorrow."

"Are you going to see your father and sister while you're there?" Richard asked.

"I don't know," Rory shrugged. "We might stop by."

"I'm sure he would like that."

Rory nodded and quickly changed the subject. "Dinner smells delicious. What are we having?"

"I believe it is some sort of fish. And it does smell delicious, doesn't it?"

"Absolutely," Jess agreed.

The conversation came to a momentary stand still, making Rory fidget nervously with the sleeves of her sweater.

"Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes," Emily came back into the room. "Would you like to change?"

"Oh, uh, we don't have any other clothes. We came straight from the airport," Rory explained. "I haven't done laundry yet."

"Oh," she pursed her lips.

"That's perfectly alright, isn't it Emily?" Richard shot his wife an annoyed look.

"Of course it is," she agreed and made her way to the drink cart.

"Emily, let me do that!" Her husband got to his feet.

"I'm perfectly capable of making myself a drink," she argued, but he ignored her.

"I am well aware of that, but it is one of the great joys in my life making them for you."

Rory giggled at the look her grandmother gave him before sitting back down.

"He's impossible," she told her granddaughter.

"I know."

Rory didn't know what exactly had happened, but her grandmother's icy tone had disappeared, replaced by her usual pleasant demeanour. The only thing she could think of that would have changed the older woman's mood so quickly, was that her grandfather had some sort of magic powers over her.

"Rory, Jess, can I freshen your drinks?" He asked.

"Sure," Jess nodded and handed over his glass.

"I'm alright," Rory shook her head. "I wouldn't say no to a club soda, though."

"One Club Soda coming up," her grandfather smiled warmly at her.

"So, Rory, are you excited to be going back to school?" Her grandmother asked. "Your senior year of college!"

"I guess," Rory shrugged. "I mean, I'll miss being in Philly, but I love Yale so it kind of evens itself out."

"And what classes are you taking?"

"Mostly classes I need for my degree, literature and journalism kind of things. Maybe some Economics classes, just for kicks."

"I think you're the only person I know who takes Economics 'for kicks'," Jess laughed at her.

"That's the Gilmore spirit for you," Richard smiled and handed Jess a fresh drink.

"It's an admirable quality," her grandmother agreed.

"I couldn't agree more," Jess nodded. "If it weren't for her affinity for economics, I'm pretty sure Truncheon and _The Beat_ would have gone under by now."

"As long as you understand that," Rory patted his cheek.

"What is _The Beat_?" Emily asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, _Crooked Beats,_ the Bar that we just bought," Jess explained.

"A bar?"

"Yeah, we plan on making it into a hangout for local artists. A kind of _La Closerie des Lilas_ meets _The Carousel Bar_ idea."

"An ambitious goal," Richard nodded approvingly.

"Hopefully not too ambitious," Jess laughed nervously. "We've started moving performances there already, and we're going to let our artists put their stuff up, that kind of thing."

"Well I wish you all the best, my boy."

"Thank you, sir."

"I'm sorry, what is _La Closerie des Lilas_?" Emily asked, looking confused.

"It's a cafe in Paris," Rory explained. "Remember, I took you there when we went to Europe? It was where all the great artists hung out in the 20's- F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paul Cezanne-"

"Hemingway," Jess interrupted.

"I said _great_ artists."

"Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant man," her grandfather chastised.

"Ha!" Jess beamed and pointed a mocking finger at her.

"Oh, shut up!" Rory swatted the finger away. "Don't you remember the place, Grandma?"

"I'm afraid you took me to a great many artistic cafes on our trip," Emily frowned. "I can't say I recall them all. Although I do recall how filthy most of them were."

"Creativity thrives in chaos," Rory shrugged. "Or so I've been told."

"And this, _Carousel Bar_?" Emily asked.

"Similar idea, but it's in New Orleans," Jess explained. "It's pretty famous among writers."

"Well it sounds like an admirable goal."

Her tone suggested that she actually would have thought better of their opening a brothel, but Rory decided to let it go. The only thing that mattered was that she was at least trying to be nice to Jess, just like she had when they had dated in high school. Rory didn't believe she approved of their relationship for one second, but as long as she wasn't trying to break them up, she wasn't going to argue.

They discussed Chris and Matt's plans for the bar until the maid came out and announced dinner. Once there was food on the table, the conversation dulled until Emily spoke.

"You know who I saw the other night?" She asked Rory.

"Who?"

"Shira Huntzberger," the older woman smiled brightly. "You know, it's been so long since our paths have crossed it was nice to catch up."

"I'm sure," Rory frowned down at her plate.

"She told me that Logan is in London, working for his father's firm."

"I know," Rory said shortly.

"Oh, I didn't think you two were in contact anymore," Emily said nonchalantly.

"We're not," Rory assured her. "I knew he was going to London long before we broke up, though. Mitchum talked about it all the time."

"Well apparently he's enjoying it immensely and it's really given him an opportunity to mature."

"Well good for him," Rory focused intently on her plate, her knife making permanent scars in the flatware. She could feel Jess's eyes on her, but she refused to look up.

"He's coming back into town next month, the two of you should really catch up."

"I don't think so," Rory shook her head.

"Why not?"

Her tone was so innocent that Rory wanted to reach across the table and throat punch the woman. Why not? _Why not?_

"We didn't exactly part on the best of terms, Grandma," Rory said coldly, setting her cutlery down.

"All the more reason to get together and patch things up. The two of you were just darling together."

"Emily," Richard began to speak up, but Rory spoke over him.

"There is absolutely NO reason to catch up!" She assured her grandmother. "We broke up for a reason, and I'm with Jess now."

"There's no need to be snippy, young lady."

"I think there is," Rory shot back. "Jess and I are together, _very_ together. We live together, Grandma, and that's not going to be changing anytime soon. And on top of that, Logan and I broke up because our relationship was a mess."

"I think you're being a little over dramatic," Emily rolled her eyes. "I mean, honestly, I didn't see the two of you apart until you suddenly disappeared and ran off with Jess."

"I stole a boat with him!" Rory barked out a laugh. "What part of that seems like a healthy relationship?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that Logan forced you into committing a felony," Emily said sarcastically.

"Emily," her husband tried to intercede again, but Rory was too quick.

"He didn't force me, but it's not like he tried to stop me! And besides that, before I met him I would never have even dreamed of stealing a boat! He was bad for me!"

"Rory, you can't just blame all your problems on him because you broke up."

"That is not what I'm doing!" Rory cried exasperatedly. "I'm just as responsible for my actions as he is, but he definitely didn't help me stick to the straight and narrow! And on top of that, he was controlling and jealous."

"Honestly, you act as though he were the devil."

"You know what, he was in a lot of ways," Rory's voice lowered and she finally looked over at Jess.

He was watching her closely, as if he knew she could break at any moment, trying to give her the strength to keep it together.

"Perhaps we should discuss something else," Richard said awkwardly. "Jess, you haven't told me what your new book is about."

"Uh, yeah, right." Jess nodded and launched into a lengthy description of the book, keeping an eye on Rory from the corner of his eye. She wasn't listening to him, though, she was engaged in a staring contest with her grandmother, neither of them willing to back down.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **A/N: So you guys have probably noticed that I changed the title. It came to me in a stroke of artistic genius, but nothing else in the story has changed. Thanks for reading, and I hope you like it. Enjoy! :)**

The rest of dinner was awkward, to say the least. Both Rory and Emily were ready to throw down at the drop of the hat, while Richard and Jess desperately tried to keep things civil. When dinner was over, Rory couldn't get up fast enough, quickly refusing dessert and making a run for the door.

"Thank you for dinner," she spoke curtly to her grandmother. "It was lovely."

"You're welcome."

"Well, it was wonderful meeting you," Richard smiled broadly at Jess and shook his hand. "I can't wait to get a hold of the new book. And Rory, it's always lovely to see you. We'll see you soon."

"Yep," Rory hugged him and turned to let herself out, pulling Jess behind her. He didn't bother trying to say goodbye to Emily, it had been made pretty clear that she still wasn't his biggest fan. Rory seethed for the entire drive back to Stars Hollow, ignoring any attempts Jess made to break the silence.

"Rory, come on," he finally said. "It wasn't that bad."

"No," she held up a hand to silence him. "It was exactly that bad. You just don't speak Gilmore."

"Rory-"

"Jess, I _really_ don't want to talk about this with you!" She snapped.

She pulled her phone out and dialled her house.

"Hello," Lorelai answered just before the machine picked up.

"Luke's. Ten minutes." Rory snapped.

"Okay. You sound pissed."

"How very observant of you, Sherlock. I'll see you there." She hung up without another word and went back to glaring out the window until they pulled up in front of the diner.

Jess hadn't even put the car in park when Rory jumped out and slammed the door shut behind her, stomping into the diner. Jess took his time following her. He loved that woman to death, but she could be terrifying when she was mad, and he hadn't seen her this mad in a very long time.

While Jess took his sweet time getting out of the car, Rory stormed into the diner and threw herself onto a stool at the counter.

"Rory, back to stay in the apartment upstairs?" Kirk asked. "Because Luke and I have been talking about an arrangement and-"

"Get lost, Kirk!" She snapped, scaring the man-child into silence and making him move to the other end of the counter.

"Okay," Luke turned and took in his step-daughter's appearance. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I need coffee," she snapped.

Luke nodded and poured her a cup, then put a piece of pie on a plate with some ice cream and set it down in front of her.

"Alright, now that you're fed and caffeinated, what's wrong?" He asked again, leaning on the counter in front of her and looking around for Jess.

"Nothing's wrong," she repeated.

"You almost made Kirk cry a minute ago," Luke scoffed. "Come on, out with it."

Rory sighed angrily, put her head down on the counter for a second, then looked back up at him.

"We just had dinner with my grandparents," she huffed.

"You and Jess?"

"No, me and the Pope," Rory rolled her eyes at him. "They were a little rude about his opinion on the death penalty."

"Well I don't see him anywhere," Luke defended himself.

"He's probably outside hiding from me."

"I wonder why."

"Hey, you want a piece of me diner man!?" Rory snapped.

"Wow, that dinner must have been pretty bad," Luke bit back a laugh. "The last time you sounded like this was when your mom wouldn't RSVP to your 21st birthday."

When Rory's only response was to glare at him, he held his hands up in apology and changed tactics.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Rory!" Lorelai suddenly glided into the diner, looking for her daughter. "Rory, darling, where are you!?"

Luke raised a hand and pointed until his wife noticed them.

"Hey, Hon!" Lorelai sat down beside her daughter and stole her coffee cup. "So, what did Adolf and Eva do this time?"

"You're gonna lose your hand in a second if you don't give that back," Rory snarled.

"I wouldn't test her," Luke put a second cup of coffee down on the counter. "A minute ago she made Kirk cry."

"Everyone makes Kirk cry," Lorelai waved him off. "So, spill."

"She's just so..." Rory tried to find the right word, mouth opening and closing while she waved her hands around in annoyance.

"You can do it," her mother encouraged. "Use your adjectives. Monstrous? Abusive? Machiavellian?"

"Pompous!" Rory finally cried. "I mean, she walks around like the world revolves around her, and God help us all if we do something she doesn't agree with!"

"And what exactly is it that she doesn't agree with?"

"That would be me," Jess finally entered the building.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific," Lorelai shook her head. "Because, I mean, I don't really like you either, but she's not screaming about me."

"I'm sorry, have you met your mother?" Rory demanded. "She's not exactly known for sharing her thought process with the rest of the room, she just gets aggressive and snotty."

"Snotty?" Lorelai tried not to smile at her daughter.

"Does this really look like the time?" Rory snapped.

"Right, sorry. So what exactly made her so hostile? And what were you doing there in the first place? I thought you guys had meetings."

"We did," Rory nodded. "But Jess thought I should take a sleeping pill before we got on the plane, since I freaked out on the flight down-"

"You gave her sleeping pills?" Lorelai turned to Jess, an amused look on her face.

"I'm assuming, from the look on your face, that you've tried that before," Jess frowned.

"Only when she was a kid, I think I still have the pictures somewhere."

"Thanks for sharing!" Rory smacked her arm. "That would have been useful information."

"Well how was I supposed to know you were going to be taking sleeping pills?" Her mother demanded.

"You should have figured it would happen at some point in my life!"

"Okay, that's not the point," Luke interceded.

"Right," Rory huffed. "Okay, so I took the sleeping pill and, as you obviously know, I didn't exactly react well to it. So we got into Hartford and I was still super out of it, so Jess suggested dropping me off at Grandma and Grandpa's so I could sleep it off for a while longer."

"Seems reasonable," Lorelai nodded.

"That's what I thought. Grandpa was working from home for the day, and Grandma was gone when I got there, so he just sent me up to my room to sleep for a bit. When the pills finally wore off, I went in search of coffee and stumbled into a D.A.R tea-"

"Gah!" Lorelai winced. "Bad!"

"I know," Rory nodded. "So I made some excuse about having to do some work stuff, which I don't think Grandma was too happy about, and then I went and hid in Grandpa's office until Jess got back and we had drinks while we waited for Grandma to join us."

"Okay, so far, not seeing the problem."

"When Grandma came in and found out we were staying for dinner, she didn't seem too excited, and then we started telling her about California and anybody looking through the window would have thought we were telling her we had massacred her favourite restaurant."

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," Lorelai smiled. "So she's not a big fan of the fact that the two of you are living in sin."

"If that's how you want to put it," Rory wrinkled her nose. "But that wasn't it."

"Of course it wasn't," Lorelai sighed. "Alright, let's have it."

"Okay, so she was super cold at first, then she got a drink and suddenly flipped the perfect hostess switch-"

"Oh no," Lorelai cringed.

"Exactly," Rory nodded. "So we go and sit down for dinner and we're talking about the new bar, and she casually announces that she caught up with Shira at a party."

"She didn't!" Lorelai gasped. "God, what is wrong with that woman!?"

"She's not done," Jess leaned against the counter.

"No!" Lorelai gasped, knowing what her daughter was about to say.

"Yes," Rory nodded, smiling sarcastically. "Logan is enjoying his time in London immensely, and he's really matured in the last few months-"

"Oh, God!" Lorelai groaned.

"And he'll be in town next month and we should really catch up," Rory finished.

"God, that woman is something else! And you just sat there?" Lorelai turned to Jess.

"She had it covered," he shrugged at Rory.

"Well I wasn't about to let her run with her stupid idea that Logan and I were going to miraculously patch things up!"

"No, you made that very clear," Jess nodded. "And at a very high volume."

"I'm sorry, what would you have rather I done?" She demanded. "Would it have been better if I had just sat there and said 'Yes, Grandma, that _would_ be lovely. I would love to see Logan again so we can patch up our differences, get married and start our own master race of Arian children.' Is that what you wanted?"

"I didn't say that!" Jess huffed. "I'm just saying-"

"What?!" Rory snapped, making everyone else in the diner jump. "What were you saying?"

"Hey, honey," Lorelai tried to calm her down.

"I'm not saying anything," Jess cried. "I'm just saying you made your opinion very clear."

"You know what, I need some air!" Rory suddenly slammed her mug down and stormed out of the diner, as everyone watched her in shock.

"Okay, what just happened?" Luke asked after a moment of silence.

"I have no idea," Lorelai shook her head and turned to look at Jess. "Care to shed some light on the situation?"

"There were a lot of issues aired at dinner," he shrugged. "Uh, Mrs. Gilmore seemed to think that Logan is perfect, and Rory is to blame for all the trouble they got in together and I don't think she took that very well."

"Obviously," Lorelai nodded.

"Seriously?!" Luke demanded. "Who in their right mind could think it was Rory's idea to steal a boat?"

"Honey, my mother hasn't been in her right mind for years," Lorelai sighed and looked back to the door. "I should go try and talk to her."

"I think she just needs some time to cool off," Jess shook his head.

Lorelai didn't look convinced, but Luke reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Trust him," he said. "The boy knows what he's talking about."

"Oh, so I don't know my own daughter?" Lorelai demanded, her nostrils flaring.

"Lorelai, please," Luke pleaded. "I can only deal with one angry Gilmore at a time."

"I know," she smiled. "I'm just messing with you."

"I'll go look for her in a little bit," Jess promised.

"Alright," Lorelai shrugged. "If you're sure. Don't be afraid to call in the master, though."

"Got it," Jess nodded. "I'm going to go put a load of laundry on."

"Wow, you're a regular Donna Reed," Lorelai mocked him.

"At least I know _how_ to do laundry," Jess shot back, making her gasp.

"Are you going to let him insult me like that!" She demanded, turning to her husband.

"He's not wrong," Luke shrugged.

"I will have you know that I have been successfully doing laundry since before Rory was even born!" Lorelai glared at them. "It was the only way to keep my mother from throwing all my clothes in the trash! So there!"

"Alright," Jess held his hands up. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you're amazing at laundry Auntie Lor."

"Gah! Don't call me that!" Lorelai cringed and covered her ears.

Jess smirked and disappeared upstairs, leaving her and Luke to argue over who really did the laundry in their house.

Rory stormed out of the diner, not knowing where she was going, just needing to blow off steam. She didn't even know why she was so mad, it wasn't like this was new. Her grandmother had never approved of her boyfriends until Logan came along. It didn't matter that he got her into all kinds of trouble, or that he was a jerk, all that mattered was that he was from the right family.

It was the same opinion they had of her father. It didn't matter that he had walked away from them, that he had spent her entire life letting her down, he came from good breeding and that was enough to make them love him. Her grandmother's dislike of Jess shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it didn't make her any less angry, so instead of taking her anger out on everyone around her, she walked. Really, it was more of a stomp, but that was besides the point. She made her way around the square three times before she noticed the entire town watching her and changed directions. She finally found herself sitting on the old bridge, her feet dangling over the water, feeling like she was seventeen again.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there when Jess showed up, but she figured it must have been a while for him to have come looking for her.

He stood behind her for a minute, waiting for her to either acknowledge his presence or tell him to get lost, and when she did neither of those things he sat down.

"Hey," he bumped her shoulder.

"Hey."

"So... have you listened to the new Arcade Fire album?"

She snorted at his pathetic attempt to diffuse her mood.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I didn't mean to be such a bitch."

"It's okay," he shrugged. "Sometimes you just need to let it out of your system."

"I guess."

She kept her eyes trained on the water, watching the reflection of her feet swinging over the water, refusing to meet his eyes.

"So, do you want to tell me _why_ you felt the need to get your daily bitch quota out?" Jess prompted.

"I get a daily quota?"

"Yeah, don't they teach you anything at that fancy school?"

"Not really," she shook her head. "We mostly just eat ramen noodles and drink copious amounts of alcohol."

"Ah, see, now it all makes sense." He waited for her to tell him what was really wrong, bumping her shoulder again when she stayed quiet.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. "She just made me so mad!"

"Why?" Jess frowned. "I mean, it's never exactly been a secret that she doesn't like me."

"I know, but it was different today," Rory shook her head. "She wasn't just being cold to you, she was trying to get me to go back to someone I don't love just because he has the right last name. I mean, she knows what went on between us, she knows about the boat and the partying and the terrible decisions I made when we were together, but she just looks right past that because he's a Huntzberger. She wants us to break up, so I can marry a pompous asshole who would probably spend most of our married life cheating on me, just so she can say that her granddaughter married Logan Huntzberger."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that," Jess tried to comfort her.

"Yes, she did," Rory assured him. "She always does. It's the same thing she's been doing to Mom my whole life. Despite all the crappy things my dad has done to us over the years, she still insists that they should be married. It doesn't matter what our lives turn out to be, as long as we have good last names. That's the only thing that matters to her!"

"Rory!" Jess scolded. "You know that's not true. Your grandmother loves you. She just has an odd way of showing it."

"Sometimes I wonder," Rory spat out a humourless laugh.

"It's just how she was brought up," Jess offered.

"That's not an excuse. People can change," Rory shook her head. "She doesn't even give other people a chance. Not you, not Luke. She's too stubborn for her own good."

"Well we'll just have to prove to her that Danes and Mariano are equally good last names as Huntzberger."

"There's nothing good about the Huntzbergers," Rory told him. "They're terrible people. I would far rather be a Mariano."

She finally looked at him, a smile ghosting across her lips, her anger visibly washing away.

"That can be arranged," Jess smirked.

"You gonna adopt me?" Rory joked.

"Something like that," he nodded. "Feel better?"

"Ya," she put her head on his shoulder. "I think I just needed to get some air and rant."

"That usually helps, sure you don't want to push me in the lake while we're here? Luke stands by it's therapeutic properties."

"Maybe next time," Rory laughed. "Right now, I think I just want to go do some laundry."

"Well you'll be disappointed to know that I already did it."

"You'll make such a good wife one day," Rory patted is cheek.

"On second thought, maybe I'll push _you_ in the lake," he threatened.

"You wouldn't dare," she shook her head. "Remember, I know where you sleep."

Jess cocked an eyebrow, and she had less than a second to react before he threw an arm around her shoulders and shoved her off the bridge.

She came up from the water sputtering and cursing.

"Language," Jess admonished. "Taylor might write you up."

"I'm going to kill you," she glared at him, biting back a smile.

"No you're not," he shook his head. "You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if I wasn't here."

Rory glared at him and waded back over to the bridge.

"Help me up," she snarled and held up her hand.

"Forget it," he shook his head. "I'm not falling for that."

"Come on, Jess!" She whined innocently. "It's cold in here!"

He glared at her for a few seconds, trying to gauge whether or not he was safe. He must have been pretty tired, because his 'Rory Reading' skills were off. As soon as he took her hand, she yanked as hard as she could, pulling him off balance and into the lake beside her.

"Nice of you to join me," she smirked when he came back up.

"Okay, this is war!" Jess announced, lunging towards her.

Rory let out a yelp and started to swim away, only to have Jess grab her ankle and pull her back. Thinking fast, she reached up and pressed down on the top of his head, pushing him under the water and giving herself a moment to escape. Unfortunately, he had been expecting this and grabbed hold of her waist, tickling her ribs until she let go.

"Okay, okay!" She cried, gasping for breath. "I give!"

He frowned at her, not willing to believe she would give up a fight that easy.

"Seriously," she assured him. "Pinky swear."

When he still didn't move to let her go, she sighed and raised her right hand.

"I swear on _Howl_."

This seemed to convince him, as he loosened his grip on her waist and pulled her to his chest.

"Well, if you're swearing on _Howl_ ," he agreed and kissed her.

The kiss quickly went from playful to dangerous, and Rory was pulling away from him and heading back to the bridge.

"Hey!" he followed her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"It's freezing in here," she told him. "I'm going back to the diner to take a hot, steamy shower."

The look she gave him as she pulled herself out of the water had him hot on her heels, pulling himself up and throwing her over his shoulder before she could make a run for it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Well. Good Morning!" Lorelai greeted her daughter brightly the next morning when she came down the stairs into the diner. "You feeling better, or should Luke keep hiding in the kitchen?"

"What?" Rory frowned.

"When he heard you coming down the stairs he turned tail and ran, for fear that you would still be practising your Erin Brockovich routine," her mother explained.

"Fantastic," Rory groaned. "Luke! You can stop hiding! I'm not planning a massacre anymore!"

"I wasn't hiding," her stepfather said nervously. "I was working."

"You can't fool her," his wife laughed. "We both know you were scared she was going to start throwing things again."

"You should be scared," Jess appeared in the doorway. "She's actually got a pretty good arm."

"Sure," Lorelai snorted.

"Seriously," Jess nodded. "I was just as surprised as anyone."

"Okay, maybe hiding wasn't such a bad idea," Rory frowned.

"We're sorry, honey." Lorelai put an arm around her daughter. "It's just a little difficult to believe after knowing you your entire life."

"I've gotten a lot of practice in the last few years," Rory explained. "Paris makes a really good target. Now, what does a person have to do to get some coffee around here?"

"Eat half a grapefruit," Luke said.

"Yeah, no." Rory shook her head and got to her feet, rounding the counter to get it herself.

"If I told you that you weren't allowed back here would it make a difference?" Luke frowned at her.

"Since it would be a lie, no," Rory gave him a cheeky smile and turned to her mother. "Refill?"

"Nah, I have to get to work. Where are you two heading today?"

"Boston."

"Well, have fun and enjoy the..." she frowned and turned to Luke. "What do they have in Boston?"

"Harvard," Rory said obviously.

"We hate Harvard," her mother gasped. "Have you learned nothing from three years at Yale!?"

"Fenway Park," Luke offered.

"Huh?"

"The baseball field," Jess explained.

"Oh, who cares about those?"

"Sports fans," Rory reasoned.

"Which we definitely are not. Oh! Paul Revere! He had something to do with Boston, right?"

"Just a little," Rory laughed.

"Great, say 'hi' to Paul Revere!"

"Will do. Call you when we get there?"

"Obviously." She pulled her daughter into a hug over the counter, then kissed her husband and left.

"So, breakfast?" Luke turned to Rory and Jess.

"It is the most important meal of the day," Jess nodded.

"Pancakes, please," Rory ordered.

"Special Omelette."

"Coming up," Luke nodded. "Could one of you run around with the coffee pot while I make it?"

"I'm on it!" Rory said excitedly, grabbing the coffee pot and scurrying around the counter.

"There's something wrong with that girl," Luke shook his head.

"Tell me about it," Jess nodded.

"I can still hear you!" Rory called back, making them both turn and scurry into the kitchen.

"Rory!" Miss Patty squealed when she approached her table. "How are you!?"

"I'm good," Rory smiled. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm just fabulous Honey," Patty beamed. "What are you doing here? Lorelai said you were going to be gone all summer with Jess."

"We're just here for the morning," Rory assured her. "We crashed last night, and we're leaving for Boston in a little bit."

"Isn't it fabulous to be young and get to travel the country?" Patty sighed. "You know, I remember this one time, I was living in Chicago and I met this man who was absolutely-"

"Oh, look! Someone needs a refill!" Rory interrupted her. "It was nice catching up!"

Before Patty could finish her story and most likely scar Rory for life, she made a run for the other side of the diner and topped up Kirk and Lulu's mugs. She noticed that Kirk flinched as she approached and sighed dramatically.

"Kirk, I'm not going to bite you," she grumbled.

"Well how am I supposed to know that?" The man-child demanded.

"Well, my fantastic history of never once having done it might be a clue."

"You came pretty close last night," he sulked.

Lulu reached out and patted his arm comfortingly, glaring at Rory.

"Fine," Rory huffed. "Kirk, I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday."

"That didn't sound very sincere."

"Kirk, take it or leave it," Rory threatened.

"I accept your apology," he looked down at his hands.

"Good, do you want something to eat?"

"No, thank you."

He still didn't make eye contact, but Rory figured that could only work in her favour. If Kirk was scared of her, maybe he would stop asking about time-sharing the apartment.

She made her way around the rest of the diner, stopping to chat at most of the tables for a minute, before returning to the counter to get her breakfast.

"Why is Kirk shaking and staring at you?" Jess asked as she sat down.

"Why does Kirk do anything?" Rory rolled her eyes. "The man should be studied."

"Or sent back to his home planet."

"Hot plates!" Luke announced, setting their breakfasts in front of them.

"Luke!" Rory gasped and fanned her face. "I really don't think that's an appropriate pet name for your step-daughter and nephew!"

"Do you want breakfast or not?" Luke frowned at her, starting to pull the plate away.

"No, wait! I'm sorry!" Rory reached out and pulled the plate back, wincing as she burned her fingers.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Luke shook his head at her.

"One of these days, he's really going to deny you food," Jess laughed beside her.

"Nah, he loves me too much," Rory smirked.

"Don't push me," Luke warned, prompting Rory to start eating her breakfast as quickly as she could.

As soon as she had finished, Rory left Jess to pack their bags back up and ran over to Lane's for a quick visit before they left.

"Lane!" She called, letting herself into the apartment. "Are you here?!"

"Hey!" Lane scurried out of her bedroom to greet her. "What are you doing here?"

"We crashed at Luke's last night," Rory explained. "I only have a couple minutes before we head out again, but I wanted to stop by."

"I'm glad you did," Lane beamed. "I could use a dose of sanity, however small it may be."

"Trouble in paradise?" Rory frowned.

"Well we had a break through, as you know." Lane shrugged, referring to the moment when she and Zach had professed how sucky their situation was.

"I remember," Rory nodded. "It's a good thing the little guy doesn't have ears yet, he would have been very unimpressed."

"He'll get over it," Lane assured her. "I mean, we're working on our attitudes."

"And how's that going?"

"Zach has been reading some of my books, and now he refuses to make eye contact with me."

"Ah," Rory nodded understandingly. "So I'm guessing he made it to the fun parts of pregnancy."

"It really went down hill when he found out that my bladder is going to be getting a mind of it's own."

"Really? That was his cut off?" Rory gaped. "Afterbirth did nothing for him?"

"Well I told him there wasn't a chance I was letting him in the room when I had this thing," Lane explained. "That kind of put him at ease. The bladder thing is something he's going to have to deal with all the time, and that seemed to terrify him."

"Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it: Your husband is weird."

"Tell me about it," Lane snorted. "What's new with you?"

"Nothing," Rory shrugged. "I met Jess's dad."

"That's a little more than nothing!" Lane smacked her arm. "How did that go?"

"Not very good," she admitted. "We were there for about five minutes before they started screaming at each other."

"Ooh," Lane cringed.

"Yeah. It seems that Jimmy wasn't a big fan of the _Notes in the Margins_ plot summary."

"And Jess obviously took that really well."

"We left and on the way back to the car he decided to denounce both our fathers and declare Luke the only man he ever needs."

"And how do you feel about that?" Lane asked.

"I had to agree with him," Rory shrugged. "Luke's been a pretty great father to both of us, the bio-dads have been pretty useless. Not that I don't love my dad, but Luke has always been a real parent to me, not him."

Lane shrugged in agreement. "But you met him, that's the important thing, right?"

"Ya," Rory nodded. "That's the important thing. There aren't any secrets left now... hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"Well, there's always illegitimate children on the table," Rory shrugged. "But as long as they're cute, I'm game."

"I'm sure Jess will be happy to hear that," Lane chuckled.

Before they could talk anymore, Rory's phone buzzed. She pulled it out to find a text from Jess telling her he was outside.

"Crap, I have to go," she frowned at Lane. "Jess is waiting outside."

"Okay," Lane pulled her into a hug. "Have fun!"

"Thanks. I'll call you later this week."

"I'll wait by the phone," Lane promised. "Say hi to Jess for me."

"Will do," Rory nodded. "Say hi to Zach for me."

"I'll try," Lane sighed. "But I'm thinking about ignoring him until he starts meeting my eyes again."

"Hey, that might actually work!" Rory backed towards the door. "Let me know how it goes!"

With a final wave, she turned and left the house, making a run for Jess's car.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"So Richard mentioned your dad yesterday," Jess mentioned as they drove.

"Richard?" Rory smirked.

"Hey, it was his idea!" Jess held his hands up defensively.

"Keep your hands on the wheel!" Rory cried frantically, making Jess smile.

"You're so paranoid," he shook his head disapprovingly.

"I'm cautious, there's a difference."

"Whatever. You're changing the subject."

"I'm not, I got distracted," she reasoned. "You were asking about my dad."

"Do you want to go see him," Jess nodded.

"I might give him a call," Rory shrugged. "I _would_ like to see Gigi. Maybe I'll see if he wants to get coffee."

"Or you could really spring for it and invite him to dinner," Jess said sarcastically.

"I think I'll stick with coffee," she rolled her eyes. "I can meet up with him while you're off selling your soul."

"Wow, what did I ever do to get such a supportive girlfriend?"

"Hey, have you not been listening to everything I've been saying about you for the last month!?" Rory demanded. "Because the last time I checked, I was singing nothing but the highest of praises to anyone who would listen."

Jess ignored her and turned up the radio to listen to the latest Metallica song.

"You can't use James to drown out my very valid point!" Rory spoke over the music.

Jess's only response was to turn the volume up even more.

They drove in comfortable silence for a while, Rory changing the radio station every few minutes in an attempt to create the perfect road trip play-list. When she finally found a station she was happy with, she pulled out her book and put her feet up on the dashboard.

"What are you reading?" Jess asked a while later, noticing how engrossed she was.

" _The Uncommon Reader,_ " she held up the cover for a second. "Alan Bennet's new book."

"Is it any good?"

"Yeah, you can read it when I'm done. You'll like it."

"Okay. Do you want to stop for coffee yet?"

"That's a rhetorical question, right?" she put the book down for a second to gawk at him.

"Right," he laughed. "Sorry."

"I would hope so."

They pulled off at the next exit and Jess went to get coffee at Starbucks while Rory ran into the corner store next door to get some snacks.

"It's only another two hours!" Jess cried when he met her back at the car and saw how many bags she was carrying.

"Today!" She countered. "But the world will not come to an end if we're prepared for the next few days of our trip. And there's no rule saying we can't eat snacks outside the car."

"Alright," he relented. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Thank you," Rory smiled brightly. "Do you want me to drive for a bit?"

"Nah," Jess shook his head. "Like I said, it's only a couple more hours. But you still haven't told me where we're staying."

"It's a surprise."

The cheshire cat smile on her face made Jess wary to trust her, but he didn't have much of a choice, seeing as she had planned their entire trip. When she noticed the look he was giving her, she laughed.

"Don't worry, you're going to hate it."

"Excuse me?"

"Just drive, Sweetie." She patted his cheek lovingly and pulled a box of Twinkies out. "Want one?"

"Maybe later," Jess shook his head. "I'm feeling a little nauseous right now."

"That's just the fear of my evil tendencies talking," Rory assured him. "Eat a Twinkie, you'll feel better."

Rory had only been kidding when she told him he would hate their hotel, hoping to make him think they were going to be staying somewhere like _The Cheshire Cat._ When they finally made it to the _Hotel Buckminster_ , Jess let out a sigh of relief.

"You're a cruel woman," he shook his head at his girlfriend.

"I just like to keep you on your toes," she smirked. "Although I did consider booking us into that creepy B&B Mom and I stayed in."

"Thank you for refraining. Where do we park?"

"Across the street, but we should probably check in first," Rory reasoned. "I think you'll need a pass."

"Got it," Jess nodded and found a parking spot on the street. "You know you're going to seriously regret planning a trip here if there's a baseball game this week."

"You were the one who put Boston on the list," she shrugged and lead him inside.

"Welcome to the Buckminster," a young man at the front desk greeted them. "Are you checking in?"

"Yes we are," Rory smiled. "The reservation is under Mariano."

"Using my last name now, are you?" Jess smirked and pinched her waist.

"It's your company card, you dork," she shoved him playfully.

"Alright, I have your reservation right here, Mr and Mrs Mariano. I'll just need your credit card and a piece of photo ID."

"Oh, we're not-" Rory started to correct the man, but Jess threw an arm over her shoulder and spoke over her.

"Great," he smirked and fished his wallet out of his back pocket.

Rory gave him an amused look and shook her head.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" She murmured.

"Don't you remember our conversation on the way to California?"

"Not really," she shook her head. "If you'll recall, I was a little busy hyperventilating for most of that flight. Why don't you refresh my memory?"

"Later," he promised and turned back to the desk clerk.

"Alright, here are your room keys," he smiled at them brightly. "You're going to be on the fourth floor, elevators are just to your right. And be sure to try our restaurant, just across the lobby."

"And what about parking?" Jess asked.

"Oh, of course. How many cars?"

"Just one."

"Alright, here's your pass, the garage is directly across the street."

"Great, thanks." Jess gave the man a nod and steered Rory back out to the car. "You get the luggage up to the room and I'll go park the car."

"Go team!" Rory nodded sarcastically.

"Geez, we've been here five minutes and the stadium aura is already rubbing off on you."

"Did you just use the 'aura'," Rory snickered.

"Just take the bags inside," he groaned and pulled them out of the trunk.

Rory smirked and accepted the bags, skipping back towards the front doors while Jess watched her, shaking his head.

When he got up to the room, he found Rory on the phone, leaving a message for her dad.

"So just give me a call when you get a minute," she was saying as she let him in. "Bye, Dad."

"Good girl," Jess kissed her forehead patronizingly.

"Like you're one to talk," Rory snorted. "Didn't we agree that we were just going to let Luke adopt us?"

"Because that wouldn't be weird at all. Hi, this is my cousin Rory, who also happens to be my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was your wife. You want to explain that bit?"

"You seriously don't remember?" Jess laughed. "I decided that we're going to get married a while ago, I told you on the plane to try and distract you."

"And how exactly did I feel about that?"

"I haven't asked your opinion yet," he shrugged. "But I'm sure when I do you'll be on board."

"You seem pretty confident in that assumption," Rory crossed her arms over her chest. "What makes you think I'm not going to run for the hills as soon as I get the chance?"

"I asked The Amazing Kreskin," Jess admitted. "He seemed pretty confident."

"Oh, well if Kreskin says," Rory rolled her eyes.

"The man knows what he's talking about." Jess nodded and grabbed her hips, pulling her over to the bed.

"You're ridiculous," Rory laughed, straddling his waist.

"Nah, my crazy matches yours perfectly."

"Are you calling me crazy!" She gasped, pretending to take offence.

"I just call it like I see it." He kissed her soundly, and was surprised when she pushed him onto his back, pinning his arms above his head.

"Take it back," she threatened.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Well, yeah. That's why I asked," he bit back a smirk. "What kind of threats are we talking here?"

"I'll give you my withering stare."

"Do you promise?"

She pursed her lips, biting back a smile, and before she could get serious again, he flipped them over and slammed her into the mattress.

"Maybe next time," he kissed her.

"I hate you," she glared.

Instead of arguing with her, Jess decided to make it incredibly obvious that she couldn't even come close to hating him- especially when she was pinned underneath him.

He was very close to proving his point beyond a shadow of a doubt, when Rory's phone started to ring.

"Ignore it," he growled, keeping a tight hold on her.

"Scared I'll remember how much I hate you?" Rory panted.

He looked up quickly and frowned at her, then nipped at her hip, making her groan.

"I think I'm good," he chuckled.

Before she could attempt to answer the phone again, the ringing stopped and there was a beep to notify her of a new voicemail.

"Alright, where were we?" Jess smiled like the cheshire cat, while Rory bit her lip to keep from smiling.

When Rory finally made it to her phone, she found that it had been her mother calling to make sure they had gotten there safely.

"So nice of you to let me know you're not dead on the side of the road somewhere," Lorelai answered when Rory called her back.

"It's been twenty minutes since you called," Rory rolled her eyes. "And since when do you think I'm dead on the side of the road when I don't answer my phone?"

"I'm your mother, that's been my immediate reaction since you were born."

"Since I was born?" Rory challenged. "So I'm two years old, playing in the garden outside the shed and I don't hear you calling my name, and you immediately think that I'm dead on the side of the road?"

"Yes," Lorelai assured her. "It's where every mother's mind goes. Although when you didn't answer the phone this time I figured you were too busy necking."

"Mother!" Rory chastised.

"Am I wrong?"

"I'm not answering that."

"You just did," Lorelai laughed. "So you got there safely."

"Yes we did. We are not dead on the side of the road somewhere."

"Fantastic. Go back to your dirtiness, then."

"Seriously!" Rory cried. "That's it!?"

"I'm sorry, do you not want to go back to your dirtiness?" Lorelai asked. "Just say yes or no, is Jess trying to make you do things you're uncomfortable with?"

"Okay, I'm hanging up on you know," Rory huffed.

"Bye, Sweets!" Lorelai laughed.

"What was that all about?" Jess asked as Rory flopped back onto the mattress.

"Believe me, you don't want to know," she groaned. "My mother is a fruitcake!"

"I could have told you that years ago," Jess laughed. "I fact, if I recall, I did. But what exactly was it that tipped _you_ off?"

"Seriously, you don't wanna know," Rory laughed. "What time is it?"

"Uh..." Jess rolled over in search of a clock.

"You're wearing a watch, Genius," Rory reached out and grabbed his wrist. "God, it's already 1. No wonder I'm starving."

"How are you starving?" Jess demanded. "You ate like half a box of Twinkies, plus your weight in candy on the drive here!"

"Yeah, but all that dirtiness we just partook in worked up an appetite," she smirked. "Come on, I need to be fed before I waste away."

"Alright," Jess got up and offered her a hand. "We'll go for a walk and find you some food."

"You want me to exercise?" Rory wrinkled her nose at him.

"It'll be good for you," he nodded.

"Are you calling me fat?"

Jess ignored the question and grabbed her purse off of the floor, leaving her to chase after him.

They were standing in line to order at _Tasty Burger_ when Christopher called back. Leaving Jess to order, Rory stepped outside so she could hear better.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was just saying it's good to hear from you," her dad repeated. "What are you up to?"

"Well actually, I'm in your neck of the woods."

"Boston?"

"That is where you live, is it not?" Rory chuckled.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed. "So what are you doing in town?"

"I'm here with Jess," she explained. "We're promoting his new book, getting it into some local stores."

"Wow, that's exciting. Is the book any good?"

"It's amazing," Rory gushed. "I swear, it's the next great American novel."

"You've definitely read enough of them to know," Christopher laughed. "You'll have to tell me where I can find a copy."

"You'll be the first in the city to know," Rory promised. "So, while I was in town, I thought maybe we could have coffee or something? I'd love to see Gigi."

"And she'd love to see you. How long are you going to be around?"

"We're leaving on Friday morning."

"Well how about lunch tomorrow?" Chris suggested. "There's a really great diner around the corner from my place that we could go to."

"Sure," Rory agreed. She hadn't planned on meeting him for an entire meal, but at least lunch was easy to cut short if needed, and she really did want to see Gigi. "What time works best for you? Is Gigi still taking naps?"

"Only in the morning, really. How about 1 o'clock?"

"Sounds good. Just send me the address."

"Is Jess going to be joining us?" Chris asked before hanging up.

"It depends on if he's in a meeting," Rory skirted the issue. "But I will definitely be there."

"Alright, well he's welcome to join us."

"I'll be sure to tell him," Rory promised. "See you tomorrow, Dad. Give Gigi a kiss for me."

"See you tomorrow, Kid."

Rory hung up and turned to go back inside just as Jess came out with their food.

"Are we not going to eat here?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Somebody has triplets in there that are working on their audition for Carrie at the prom," Jess cringed.

"Good call," Rory nodded and grabbed the bag, digging around for some fries. "So back to the hotel?"

"Back to the hotel," Jess nodded. "So did you make plans with your dad?"

"Yeah, I'm going to meet him for lunch tomorrow. Apparently there's a diner right by his house that's really good."

"I thought you weren't going any bigger than coffee," Jess challenged.

"I compromised," she shrugged. "Dad said that you're welcome to join us, but I gave you an out, so you don't have to."

"Do you want me to?" Jess stole a fry from her.

"I honestly don't mind either way. I mean, I'm mostly going to be visiting Gigi and my dad likes you, he's not going to be trying to break us up if you're not there or anything like that. Don't you have a meeting tomorrow morning anyways?"

"At 10:30," he nodded.

"Well don't rush that just to keep me company. I'm a grown-up, I can go to lunch by myself."

"I'm not overly convinced about the 'grown-up' part," Jess frowned. "But you've definitely got lunch down. And dinner, and breakfast, and second-breakfast-"

"Whatever, Samwise!" Rory shoved him, trying not to laugh.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Jess nodded approvingly at the reference. "Now, be honest, did you read the books or watch the movies?"

"Have you ever read one of those stupid books!?" Rory scoffed. "I'd rather watch paint dry!"

"I thought so," Jess laughed.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Once they had finished lunch, Rory convinced Jess to go explore the city with her, insisting that they visit Sylvia Plath's grave.

"Should I be concerned about your obsession with Sylvia Plath?" Jess frowned as they walked to the car.

"I wouldn't call it an _obsession_ ," Rory rationalized. "If anything it's a healthy appreciation."

"If you say so."

"I do, now hurry up, we have lots to do today!"

"Since when?"

"Since I have an entire notebook full of things to do and, like, twelve hours to do it," she rolled her eyes. "Are you new?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're completely nuts?" Jess asked.

"On a regular basis," she smiled. "That's not the point right now, though. Right now, we're focusing on doing all the fun things in my notebook."

"Is the fun part a requirement?"

"Yes."

"Alright, is the map of _Middle Earth_ in the Public Library on your list?" Jess asked, trying to pry the notebook from her hands.

"You know, oddly enough, it's not." Rory shook her head and yanked the book back.

"What about the _Cheers_ bar?"

"That is a tour option. But our first stop is Sylvia Plath's gravestone."

"Yes, dear." Jess put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead, then pushed her towards the passenger's side of the car. "I hope you know where we're going."

"That was what GPS was invented for," she assured him, punching in the address.

Knowing that Jess didn't really care about going to Sylvia Plath's grave, Rory made the visit quick, taking a couple pictures and adding her own rose to the piles that littered the area.

"What's next?" Jess asked as they walked back to the car.

"I thought we could visit the _Isabella Gardner_ museum. Apparently it's pretty cool."

"Alright, lead the way."

They ended up spending most of the afternoon at the museum, browsing the manuscripts and letters that were on display, criticizing each others taste in authors. There had been a few other landmarks to visit on Rory's list for the day, but they were enjoying themselves so much she didn't bother mentioning them. From the museum they went to see if they could get a table at the _Cheers_ bar, though they didn't have high hopes. They were pleasantly surprised when the hostess said she could fit them into the bar. Over dinner, they discussed the meetings Jess had set up for the next couple days, going over his pitch for what felt like the hundredth time.

"You're going to knock their socks off," Rory assured him when he finished.

"Knock their socks off?" Jess mocked.

"I know what I said," Rory pursed her lips. "And I'm not wrong. Everybody's going to want to carry this book."

"You're really screwing with my glass half empty, realist mentality here," Jess frowned at her. "What are you going to do when I turn into a crazy artiste like Benji?"

"Sic Luke on you," she smirked.

"Touche," Jess laughed.

The next morning, they had breakfast in the hotel restaurant before Jess left for his meeting.

"You're gonna do great!" Rory assured him as he was leaving, picking a piece of lint off his jacket.

"Is it just me, or have we suddenly become very domestic?" Jess asked.

"You're the one that decided we were married," Rory reasoned. "I'll see you after."

Once he was gone, Rory sat down to do some editing and confirm their travel plans for the rest of the week until she had to get ready for lunch with her dad. She didn't realize what time it was until her dad called to see where she was.

"Oh, crap!" She cried, looking at the clock. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I completely lost track of time."

"That's okay," Christopher assured her. "I'll tell you what, is there a restaurant in your hotel?"

"Yeah."

"Well why don't I come to you, then?" he offered. "Which hotel are you staying at?"

"The Buckminster, in Kenmore Square."

"Oh, yeah, that's only a few minutes away. Why don't you get ready and get us a table and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"That would be great," Rory sighed. "Thanks, Dad."

"See you soon," he laughed.

As quickly as she could, Rory got dressed and threw her hair up into a ponytail before heading downstairs to get a table. She stepped off the elevator and and ran directly into Jess.

"Whoa!" He laughed and caught hold of her waist. "Did you miss me that much?"

"Hey, sorry."

"Aren't you supposed to be having lunch with your dad?" Jess looked at his watch.

"Yes, but I got distracted editing and lost track of time, so now we're having lunch here." Rory explained. "I was just going to get a table. How did your meeting go?"

"I think it went well. I talked to two store managers and they're going to take it up to the owner for final approval, but they seemed to have high hopes."

"That's great, I told you you could do it," she reached up and kissed his cheek. "Okay, I'm going to go have lunch, I'll see you in a little bit?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go give Chris a call, tell him about the meeting." He kissed her quickly and jumped on the elevator, leaving Rory to make her way to the restaurant.

"Hey, Kid!" He came through the doors just as she walked in, pulling Gigi behind him.

"Hey, Dad!" she reached up and hugged him, then bent down to Gigi's level. "Hey, Little Sister."

Gigi glared at her, hiding behind her dad's legs.

"Alright then," Rory nodded approvingly and stood up again. "So should we sit?"

"Let's sit," Chris agreed and turned to the hostess. "Table for... three?"

"Three," Rory confirmed. "Jess is still stuck working."

"Alright, table for three. It'll be a Daddy-Daughter lunch."

"Right this way," the hostess smiled and led them to a booth. "Would you like a children's menu?"

"Please," Chris nodded. "You might want to bring a couple, actually, we haven't really gotten that maturity thing down yet."

"No problem," the girl giggled and hurried off to get the menus.

"Stop doing that," Rory glared at her father.

"Doing what?"

"Flirting with her! It's making me nauseous."

"I was _not_ flirting!" Christopher scoffed.

"You were too," Rory challenged. "Now cut it out, or me and Gigi are making a run for it. Aren't we?"

She turned to the younger girl dramatically, making her giggle and nod.

"Alright, alright," their dad held his hands up in surrender. "I'll try. It's not my fault women find me irresistible, though."

"Eugh!" Rory mimed gagging, making Gigi laugh again.

"Here you are," the hostess returned with the children's menus and a cup of crayons. "Your server should be over in just a minute."

"Great," Rory gave the girl a tight smile. "Thank you."

Christopher bit his lip and tried not to laugh at his oldest daughter's blatant efforts to dismiss the flirty hostess.

"Do you do that when girls flirt with Jess, too?" He chuckled once the hostess had disappeared.

"I don't need to do that when girls flirt with Jess," she shook her head. "He's too broody and mean to pay them any attention."

"Well that's good, I guess. So, do you have a store for me to get his book from yet?"

"Not yet," Rory shook her head. "But I'll keep you updated. What's new with you?"

While they looked over the menu, Chris filled her in on what he was doing for work and Rory, in turn, told him about her and Jess's summer so far and how much she loved living in Philadelphia.

Their waitress had just finished taking their orders when Chris started working the conversation out of the safe zone.

"So, how's your Mom doing?" He tried to make it sound nonchalant, but Rory knew better. Nothing was ever nonchalant when it came to her parents.

"She's good. Really good," Rory insisted. "She actually got married last month."

"Wow!" Chris looked completely shocked. "That's- that's great! The diner guy, right?"

"Luke," Rory nodded. "Yeah. They're really happy together."

"Well I'm happy for her," he tried to sound convincing.

"Dad," Rory frowned.

"No, really," he assured her. "I'm glad she's happy. I'm glad she found someone that makes her happy. I mean, yes, I always wished we could be a family one day, but what I want most is for her to be happy."

"Okay," Rory shrugged. "If you say so."

"I do. I swear, I have no intention of getting in their way again. Scout's honour."

"You weren't a scout," Rory pointed out.

"Maybe not, but I have the utmost respect for their sworn oath," he said solemnly. "Unless you'd prefer I pinky swear."

"Pinky swear is unbreakable," Rory held out her finger, making her father laugh.

"Whatever you say, Kid."

They shook pinkies and Rory immediately changed the discussion, considering the subject dropped for the foreseeable future.

"So, Gigi," she turned to her sister. "Tell me about yourself. It's been SO long since I saw you."

The child stared at her for a minute, then covered her face with a pink... sheet?

"What's this?" Rory asked her, tugging the pink fabric lightly.

"Scrunchie-Bunchie," she said quietly.

"That's a cool name. Is it your special friend?"

The little girl nodded and snuck a peek at her older sister.

"I had one of those too," Rory assured her. "He was a rooster, and his name was Sergeant Clucker."

"That's a funny name," Gigi giggled.

"You think so?"

Now that the ice had been broken, Gigi chattered on incessantly to her sister until their food arrived, telling her about all her favourite toys and books and TV shows. Rory tried to keep up, but found herself looking to her father for a translation more often than not- she wasn't very good at speaking toddler. When their food arrived, Gigi immersed herself in her chicken fingers, leaving the adults to chat again.

"You seem happier than the last time I saw you," Christopher observed as they ate.

"I am," Rory smiled a little wider. "I'm really happy. Everything is just... it's just really good right now."

"I'm glad," he smiled lovingly at her until Gigi started tugging on his arm to tell him she needed to go to the bathroom.

"We'll be back in a minute," Christopher said, pulling Gigi out of the booth.

"I'll be waiting," Rory promised.

Once they were out of sight, she pulled her phone out and called Jess.

"Hey, you need an escape plan?"

"Actually, it's going pretty well," Rory admitted. "There was a few minutes of tension when I told him that Mom and Luke got married, but other than that it's been fine."

"So why are you calling me?" Jess asked.

"Well, since it's going so well, I was wondering if you wanted to come down and say hello?" She asked tentatively. "I mean, you don't have to of course, but it would be nice for Gigi to meet you. We're finished eating, so you could just come and say we have an appointment, quick hi, quick bye."

"You don't have to sell me, Ror," Jess laughed. "If you want me to come meet your sister, just say so."

"I kind of want you to come meet her," Rory admitted. "She's so cute."

"I'll be down in a minute."

Jess walked into the restaurant just as Chris and Gigi were returning to the table.

"Jess!" Christopher greeted him happily. "How are you? I thought you were in a meeting."

"I was, just got back," Jess played along.

"Well come join us for a minute." Chris led them back to Rory, who beamed when she saw Jess.

"We're back!" Her father announced. "And we picked up a straggler."

"I see that," she smirked. "Hey."

"Hey," Jess slipped into the booth beside Rory and immediately turned to Gigi. "Hello. Who are you?"

Gigi hid her face in her sheet once again, peeking out at Jess every few seconds.

"This is Gigi," Rory played along. "Gigi, this is my friend Jess."

Gigi looked him up and down a few times, then pulled on her dad's arm and whispered something to him.

"She says Jess is a girls name," Chris smirked.

"Really?" Jess pretended to be shocked.

"Well, to be fair, you did have pretty long hair when we were younger," Rory offered.

Jess glared at her and poked her in the ribs, making Rory jump and Gigi giggle.

"Whose side are you on, Missy?" Rory demanded of her little sister. "Whatever happened to Girl Power? Viva Forever!"

This small outburst only made Gigi laugh more.

"You really need to teach this kid better priorities," Rory frowned at her father.

"I'll try," he laughed.

Under the table, Rory nudged Jess's leg with her own. Right on cue, he checked his watch and cleared his throat.

"Sorry to cut this short," he frowned. "But, Ror, we have that meeting at 3:30 and it's already five after."

"Oh, crap! Yeah," Rory nodded. "We have to get going. Sorry."

"No problem," Chris smiled and got to his feet. "I'm really glad we did this."

"Me too," Rory said honestly, giving him a hug.

"Jess, good to see you again," Christopher shook his hand.

"You too," Jess nodded.

"It was nice to get to know you," Rory crouched down in front of her sister. "Maybe we could hang out again sometime soon."

Gigi nodded enthusiastically, then lunged at Rory to give her a hug.

"Oh! Okay," Rory caught her balance and hugged the child back. "We're hugging now. Got it."

"Come on, Gigi," Christopher laughed. "Rory has to go now. We'll see her again soon."

Gigi held on for a few more seconds, then turned to Jess and waved.

"It was nice to meet you," Jess smiled at her.

Rory gave her father one last hug, then they parted ways, Jess and her heading back to their room while Chris and Gigi made their way outside.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

"So the manager of the store I was in today called while you were gone," Jess told her once they were in the room. "I guess the owner wasn't as big of a fan as they were."

"Oh no," Rory frowned. "So they're saying no?"

"They're saying no," Jess confirmed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jess shrugged. "Not everyone can love me."

"Well, I do," Rory kissed his cheek. "If that makes you feel any better."

"It would if you weren't all talk," Jess smirked.

"You wanna go there, Mariano?" Rory glared at him.

"Absolutely."

Rory rolled her eyes and went to walk away, before turning and jumping on him, propelling them both back onto the bed.

"That enough action for you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Not even close," he kissed her.

Later that night, just as they were on their way out to get some dinner, Jess got a call from the store he was supposed to be meeting with the next day to say that, due to internal issues, they wouldn't be able to meet with him.

"We're just not in a position to pick up any new authors right now," the girl on the phone explained. Jess thought that this was total bullshit, but he wasn't going to call them on it. Instead, he thanked them for their time and asked that someone call him if they changed their minds, then ranted to Rory for twenty minutes.

"They obviously just don't want to question the other store owner! God, I wish people weren't so scared to piss off other store owners!"

"Babe, I'm really sorry," Rory tried to comfort him. "It's their loss."

"It's my loss too!" he cried. "Those are the only stores in town I could get a meeting with."

"Jess, there are other stores. Tons of them, in fact, that either already have your book, or want to sell it. Who cares what a bunch of Boston pricks have to say about it?"

"I do!"

"Why?" Rory challenged.

"I don't know!" Jess yelled, then dropped into a chair. "I don't know."

Rory sighed and straddled his legs, taking his head in her hands.

"You're annoyed that they're not even giving you a chance," she explained. "And like I said, that's _their_ loss. Who cares what these idiots think? There are tons of other people across the country that think your book is amazing."

"I guess," Jess sighed.

"I know," Rory assured him. "I know everything, remember? Just take my word for it."

Jess chuckled and tightened his hold on her waist.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled. "Now, how about we go get some food. The fact that you're hungry probably isn't helping your mood."

"Probably not," he agreed. "Let's go."

The next morning, they decided to check out and head to Maine early. The hotel they had found to stay in while they were in Portland was the one Rory was most excited for. _The Press Hotel_ was located in the old Portland Herald newspaper offices, and the building was themed around 1920's journalism. When she had found the hotel, Rory had been worried that it would be too expensive for them, but by some act of God she had found a deal that even her 'Spork City' mother would have approved of.

Her excitement, while endearing, was driving Jess insane, however, as it caused her to ask how much longer it would take them to get there every five minutes.

"Rory, I love you, but so help me if you don't stop asking, I'm pulling off the freeway and taking the scenic route!" Jess finally threatened as they entered the second hour of driving.

Portland was usually less than a two hour drive from Boston, but they had had the unfortunate luck of hitting bumper to bumper traffic. They had just barely crossed the state line, and knowing that Jess would be true to his word if she pushed him far enough, Rory clamped her mouth shut and tried to focus on the manuscript she had started editing the day before. Unfortunately, as thrilling as it had been when she was avoiding lunch with her father, it lost it's punch compared to her excitement to get to their hotel and after twenty minutes of reading the same paragraph she gave up and moved on to fiddling with the radio.

When they finally pulled up in front of the hotel, Rory was practically vibrating with excitement.

"We're here! We're here!" She squealed and smacked Jess' arm.

"Geez! I'm trying to drive here!"

"Look how beautiful it is!" Rory ignored him.

Jess rolled his eyes and parked in front of the lobby.

"Valet parking?" He frowned at his girlfriend. "How very Rockefeller."

"You know what, mock away, there is absolutely no way you can ruin my good mood," Rory shook her head at him. "I am Charlie Bucket, and this is Willy Wonka's factory."

"Whatever you say," Jess shook his head and got out of the car, chatting with the valet and getting their bags while Rory went and checked them in.

She didn't stop gushing about the hotel until Jess tackled her onto the bed and covered her face with a pillow.

"Rory, I love you, but you're driving me insane!"

She mumbled something and Jess pulled the pillow away.

"What was that?"

"I said, you're a killjoy," Rory frowned at him. "How can you not be excited about this place?!"

"There's a difference between excited, and talking so fast that no human can understand what you're saying."

"Not when you're a Gilmore, there isn't!"

"I must have skipped that part of the owner's manual."

" _Owner's manual?_ " Rory challenged.

"Just a figure of speech," Jess tried to save himself from some sort of feminist manifesto.

"Uh huh," she pursed her lips.

"Have I told you how great you are in the last five minutes?"

"You are walking on very thin ice, Mister," Rory snarled.

"I love you," Jess gave her a nervous smile.

Rory bit her lip and snorted back a laugh. "You're adorable when you're afraid of me."

"I'm glad you think so. Are you hungry?"

"Starved," she nodded.

"Let's go get some food and stake out the town," Jess got up and offered her a hand.

They stopped at a coffee shop for a light lunch, then wandered around town until they stumbled upon a used bookstore.

" _Yes Books,_ " Rory mused, looking at the sign. "Want to check it out?"

"I have yet to walk past a used bookstore without going in," Jess shrugged. "And the last time I checked, your track record wasn't any better."

Rory grinned at him and bolted for the door, then stopped in her tracks when she got a look inside.

"Oh my God!" She gasped. "It's nirvana."

"Happy you think so," a young girl with short pink hair who was sitting at the desk laughed. "Can I help you find anything in particular?"

"No," Jess smiled. "We'll just spend the rest of the day browsing, thanks."

"Have fun."

"We will," Rory assured her as she made her way to the back of the store.

"See you in a few hours," Jess gave her a joking salute and made his way to the other side of the store. When they met in the middle a few hours later, both were toting stacks of books that could have been used to help a body builder get in shape.

"How are we going to get these home?" Jess laughed.

"There's an entire backseat that we're not using," Rory frowned at him.

"Valid point. Time for a coffee break yet?"

"Then we switch sides?"

"That's the idea," Jess nodded.

"Wonderful," Rory beamed.

They made their way to the counter and paid for their books, promising to return a few minutes later.

"Can we bring you a coffee?" Rory asked the pink-haired girl. "You've been here longer than we have."

"You're sweet," she smiled. "But I'm good."

"If you're sure," Rory shrugged. "Let's go, Mariano, I'm starting to go through withdrawal."

"You have a problem," Jess shook his head.

"I don't have a problem, I'm just committed," Rory reasoned.

Jess looked at the shop girl and rolled his eyes, making her giggle.

"Stop flirting and caffeinate me," Rory complained. "Come on!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Jess threw an arm over her shoulders and guided her to the door. "Geez, we really need to work on your patience."

"Patience is for quitters."

They dashed into the coffee shop across the street and picked up a couple cookies and three coffees, then put their first set of purchases in Jess's car and went back inside.

"Here," Rory presented a take-out cup to the girl at the desk when they returned. "You don't have to take it if you really don't want it, though."

"Thank you," she smiled brightly and accepted the cup. "Um, I don't mean to pry, but I heard you call him 'Mariano' before..."

"Yeah," Rory nodded.

"You wouldn't happen to be _Jess_ Mariano, would you?" She looked at Jess nervously. "The author?"

"That's me," Jess sucked his teeth and nodded, then turned to look at a stack of books a few feet away.

"Seriously?" She looked over at Rory for confirmation.

"Seriously," Rory nodded.

"I love your book!" She started rummaging under the desk and pulled out a battered copy of The Subsect. "It's my favourite! I used it for my English final. I'm, like, your biggest fan!"

"That is a very loved book," Rory nodded appreciatively. "Do you mind if I-" she motioned to the book and the girl passed it over eagerly. "I'm Rory, by the way."

"Amy," the other girl offered.

"Nice to meet you, this is Jess, obviously," Rory glared at her boyfriend. "Stop skulking."

"I'm not skulking!" He argued.

"How's that plan to catch Danny Phantom going?" Rory mocked, then looked back at the book in her hands. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you loved this."

"Yeah, I'm kind of a 'notes in the margin' person, sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Rory shook her head adamantly. "We are too. We're next level 'note in the margin' people."

"It's how I got her to go out with me," Jess offered.

"No it isn't," Rory shook her head. "Now come here and sign this book before Amy's head explodes."

"Oh, no, you don't-" Amy stuttered and shook her head rapidly.

"Yes he does," Rory waved her off. "What's the point of meeting the author of your favourite book if he doesn't sign it?"

"Don't argue with her, it's not worth it," Jess shook his head and took the book from her.

"I'm glad you finally understand that," Rory smiled at him.

Jess signed the book and handed it back.

"Thank you so much!" Amy gushed. "This is just so amazing!"

Jess nodded awkwardly and looked at his shoes, making Rory laugh.

"He's really good at the whole brooding artist thing," she explained. "He hasn't got the talking to people thing quite down yet, we're working on it."

"Ha ha ha," Jess rolled his eyes at her. "I'm going to go look for more books while you gossip about me."

Rory snickered and stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, you're his girlfriend?" Amy asked her.

"Yeah, sorry," Rory smiled and wrinkled her nose. "I'm gonna go browse some more. You should go follow him around the store and pester him with questions."

"I can't think of any," Amy frowned.

"Well we'll be here until you close, so if you do, I absolutely recommend the following and pestering." Rory grinned at her one more time, then disappeared into the stacks of books.

It took them until six o'clock to make it all the way through the store, but by the time they made their way back to the counter, Jess and Rory were both in fantastic moods.

"Wow, you guys really like books," Amy observed.

"It's more of an obsession, really," Jess nodded.

"Would you stop saying that?" Rory smacked him. "We're not obsessed, we're committed."

"You _should_ be committed," Jess rolled his eyes.

"Well then," Rory huffed and turned back to Amy. "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

Amy smiled and continued scanning their purchases.

"So, I have to ask," Jess frowned at her. "How did you get my book? I didn't think there were any stores around here that carried it."

"It ended up in here, actually," Amy waved around the store. "I found it in a pile of donations and just kind of fell in love."

"Look at that, you're crossing state lines without even putting in effort," Rory smiled at her boyfriend.

"Are you working on anything new?" Amy asked nervously.

"Actually, that's what we're doing here," Jess nodded. "I'm promoting my new book, trying to get it into some new stores."

"You're trying to get it into _Longfellow_?" Amy asked eagerly.

"Hoping to," Jess nodded.

"That would be so amazing! I can't wait to buy a copy!"

"Well now I know that at least one person will buy it," Jess laughed. "Thanks."

Rory paid for the books, after a very lively argument with Jess about it, and they bid Amy goodnight.

"It was so amazing to meet you," Amy shook both their hands.

"You too," Rory beamed at her.

Jess nodded in agreement and took one of the piles from Rory.

"Maybe we'll see you around," he offered.

"That would be amazing," Amy grinned.

"She was adorable," Rory smiled at Jess once they were outside.

"I guess," he shrugged.

"Come on," she poked him. "She was in love with you, and she's in love with your book. That girl, is the kind of girl that you always wanted for a fan. Admit it."

"It was pretty cool."

"You're going soft."

"You're a bad influence."

"You know what you should do before we leave?" Rory asked once they were in the car.

"What?"

"You should take her a proof-copy of your new book! It would make her so happy."

"Maybe."

"Come on!" she poked him again.

"Okay," he relented. "Before we go, I'll take her a proof-copy."

"And sign it."

"And sign it," Jess agreed.

"You are going to make that girl's year, you know that?" Rory beamed at him. "And on top of that, I think it's adorable how flustered you got when she told you she loved The Subsect."

"Adorable? Like a puppy?" Jess frowned.

"Exactly like a puppy," she said sarcastically. "Fame looks good on you. And it was so sweet how happy you made her."

"So that's why you stick around," Jess nodded understandingly. "You're just in it for the fame."

"Yep, that's it," Rory nodded. "You've uncovered my master plan. Now what?"

"I'll let you stick around until you find someone better."

"That's so nice of you," she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I'm just a giving kind of person," he shrugged. "What do you want for dinner?"

"God, I forgot how late it was!" Rory looked at the clock and suddenly realized how hungry she was. "I have no idea. I'm just hungry."

"Got it," Jess nodded and steered towards the nearest restaurant.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Jess met with two stores the next day, both of whom were very excited to promote his book. While Jess was off selling his soul and begging for money, Rory basked in the awesomeness of the hotel. She spent the morning in the bar downstairs, where they served the best cappuccinos she had ever tried. The walls were lined with all sorts of books about everything from modern journalism to book binding, and Rory took her time browsing through them in between editing Benji's latest book and working on the layout for the August zine. She didn't realize how much time had passed until Colleen, the barista she had become good friends with since sitting down, came over to tell her that they were turning off the espresso machine for the day.

"Seriously?" Rory frowned. "You turn it off?"

"Sorry," Colleen frowned. "We stop serving coffee and pastries at one. I can make you one more before I shut the machine off, though."

"Thanks," Rory nodded. "That would be great."

"How many of those have you had?" Jess suddenly sat down across from her.

Rory shrugged and looked at Colleen.

"I think this is your... twelfth?" she seemed to be counting in her head. "But I can always go check."

"No need," Rory shook her head quickly.

"I'm a little curious," Jess smirked.

"No you're not. One more would be great."

"You don't need another one," Jess shook his head. "How about some water?"

"How about you find somebody else to do all your editing?" Rory countered.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one willing to back down, until Colleen cleared her throat to get their attention.

"She's good," Jess assured her. "Thanks."

Not wanting to get in the middle of their argument, Colleen nodded and scurried away, internally questioning the sanity of the man that had just sat down.

"So I guess you'll be the one finishing Benji's book," Rory raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

"Nah, I figure you'll have forgotten about this when the caffeine wears off... you're actually vibrating, do you realize that?"

"I am not!"

"You are," Jess laughed. "Your hands won't stop shaking and your leg is shaking the entire table. How are you not feeling this?"

"I'm a Gilmore," she stated obviously. "We're 90% coffee, 10% Wonder Woman stamina. Plus there's that whole 'not living in the same reality as the rest of the people on the planet' thing, that really helps with the not noticing. And let's be real, this isn't even setting a record. Twelve is nothing. Twelve is child's play. Twelve is beginner's level. I am a champion! Freddy Mercury should rise from the dead and write a new song about me!"

"Yeah, you haven't taken a breath since I got here," Jess frowned. "How about you eat something? You know, off set the caffeine."

"I had a brownie earlier," Rory shook her head. "How did the meetings go?"

"Good. Both stores were really excited about the book. They even asked about taking on The Subsect too."

"That's great!" Rory beamed. "That deserves a celebration! Let's go to that coffee shop around the corner that everyone says Richard Russo hangs out in!"

"I think you've had enough coffee," Jess shook his head. "How about a salad."

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Rory asked, holding out her hand as if she were about to shake his hand. "I'm Rory Gilmore, I subsist on Twinkies and pizza and burgers."

"Yeah, and you're going to die before you turn fifty."

"But at least I'll be pretty and well-fed," she shrugged. "So, coffee?"

"You're impossible," Jess shook his head.

Yeah," she grinned and started gathering up her things. "But you like me anyways. Come on, I'll buy you a celebratory latte."

Jess rolled his eyes and followed her out the door, lacing their fingers together and taking her computer bag from her.

"So where are we staying when we get to New York tomorrow?" Jess asked as they walked to the coffee shop Rory had suggested.

"It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," he frowned.

"I know," Rory smiled evilly.

"It's going to be something weird, isn't it?" Jess moaned. "Like some creepy bed and breakfast with cats everywhere, or that serial killer hotel."

"I'm sorry, you must be thinking of the kinds of places your other girlfriend would have you stay," Rory frowned at him. "The last time I checked, there was no way I was going anywhere near something with serial killers. I could barely watch all of _Silence of the Lambs_."

"Alright, so it's not a serial killer hotel," he relented. "But that doesn't make me feel any more confident in your ability to keep your evil tendencies at bay. Come on, just tell me!"

"Nope."

"At least give me a clue!"

"It's not happening," Rory shook her head. "Stop being so paranoid."

"This isn't paranoia, this is survival instincts."

"Oh my God, take a pill Marcia!" Rory mocked. "There's no need to be so dramatic."

"Because you're just so well known for your calm, realistic approach to life."

"I'm the most realistic person in my family," she responded proudly.

"That's not saying much," he snorted.

"Well then!" Rory gasped indignantly. "That was just uncalled for!"

"God, you're a piece of work," Jess rolled his eyes and kept walking, pulling Rory along behind him.

They spent the afternoon wandering around town, checking out the various stores and cafes scattered through the downtown area.

They visited the stores Jess had gotten his book into as well and he introduced Rory to the owners.

"You'll probably spend a lot of time talking to me," Rory explained when she was introduced to Stuart, the owner of _Longfellow Books_. "I handle a lot of the paperwork for Truncheon."

"I look forward to it," the man grinned. "You have a talented artist here."

"I've heard that," she smiled. "I don't like to say it too loud, though. Gives him a big head."

"I'm standing right here," Jess rolled his eyes.

"See what I mean?"

The man laughed and shook Rory's hand again. "I think I'm going to like you."

"Just about everyone does," Jess chuckled. "That's the real reason I keep her around. She off-sets my normally brooding demeanour."

They chatted for a few minutes before Jess and Rory took their leave, promising to call about the books as soon as they got back to Philly.

"I thought we could stop by that used bookstore from yesterday before we head back to the hotel," Jess told Rory as they walked.

"So you can give Amy a copy of your book and make her entire month?" Rory smirked.

"Something like that," he nodded and led her towards the store.

Amy was there again, sitting in the exact same spot as the day before, reading what looked like a battered copy of _Breakfast of Champions_.

"My kind of girl," Jess nodded at the book as they entered. "Doesn't get much better than Vonnegut."

"I don't know," Amy shrugged. "I think there's room for improvement."

"Blasphemy!" Rory gasped.

"Sorry," Amy laughed. "I would have thought you guys made it through the entire store yesterday."

"Oh, we did," Jess assured her. "We're efficient that way. I just wanted to drop something off."

"Oh," Amy frowned. "Um, okay. You want to exchange some books?"

"No, it's, uh, actually something for you." Jess reached into his book bag and pulled out the proof copy he had signed. "I figured my biggest fan deserved to be the first member of the general public to get to read it."

"Oh my God!" She took the book and held it in front of her like it could explode at any minute. "Are you serious."

"Yep," Jess nodded.

"This is... Oh my God! This is amazing! Thank you!" She jumped out of her chair and ran around the counter to hug Jess. "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem," Jess patted her head awkwardly, looking to Rory for help.

Instead of offering any, Rory just covered her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from laughing at his discomfort while she remembered Luke's early attempts at hugging.

"So, uh, we have to get going now," Jess carefully extricated himself from the girl's grasp. "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I'm going to love it!" Amy assured him. "Thank you so much!"

"If you're ever in Philly you should stop by the press," Rory offered. "We'd love to give you the tour."

"That would be so amazing! It was so nice to meet you!"

"You too," Rory shook the girls hand. "We'll make sure to stop in and see you if we're ever back in town."

Once they were outside, Rory wrapped her arms around Jess's waist.

"You, Jess Mariano, are a very nice man," she smiled up at him.

"Eh, I'm okay."

"You're wonderful," she reached up and kissed his cheek. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Something pretty terrible," he wrinkled his nose.

Rory just shook her head and laughed at him.

"Come on, let's order a pizza and I'll tell you how much I love you."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

They spent the night in their room, planning to get an early start the next morning so they could spend the day enjoying themselves in the city.

When they pulled up to the hotel Rory had booked, Jess couldn't help but laugh.

"We really are a cliche, you know that?" He shook his head at Rory when he saw the name of the hotel she had chosen.

"What are you taking about?" She demanded. "Who wouldn't want to stay in _The Gatsby Hotel_?"

"Anybody who made it to the end of the book!"

"Whatever," Rory rolled her eyes. "We're not cliche, we're themed."

"Themed?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we have a literary theme, with punk rock undertones."

"You spend way too much time with Matt," he rolled his eyes.

"While that's true," Rory agreed, "it was actually Cynthia that came up with that one."

"We need new friends," Jess rolled his eyes. "Come on."

He pulled her inside, ignoring her ramblings about the theme of their relationship as they went.

"Hello," the woman at the desk smiled at them as they walked in, finally silencing Rory. "How are you today?"

"We're great, thanks," Jess forced a smile. "We're checking in. The reservation is under Mariano."

"I called about an hour ago," Rory added.

"Yes, of course," the woman nodded. "I have your reservation right here."

Jess got out his ID and credit card, a certified pro when it came to hotel check-ins at this point, and handed them over while Rory signed the room agreement.

When they made it up to their room, Jess looked around in disgust.

"This is an outrage!" He cried. "If Jay Gatsby saw this place, he would be appalled."

"What are you talking about?" Rory laughed.

"It's so...sparse," Jess cringed. "There's no pizzazz!"

"Dear God, thank you for letting me be in the room when Jess Mariano said 'pizzazz'," Rory beamed.

"Mock all you want, but I'm not wrong."

"You are taking this way too seriously," Rory shook her head. "It's just a name."

"It's the integrity of the thing!"

"And people say _I'm_ the crazy one in this relationship," Rory laughed.

"You are. I'm making a legitimate argument."

"You're cracked!"

"Says the woman who once spent twenty minutes explaining how the entire political system could be defined by cherry pie."

"I made a _very_ compelling argument!"

"You were so drunk you forgot what kind of pie you were talking about halfway through your argument," Jess laughed.

"It's not my fault you decided to just start drinking out of the bottle."

"You didn't have to follow my example."

"I'm easily swayed by peer pressure," Rory pouted.

"You're a fruitcake."

"It runs in the family," she shrugged. "I need coffee."

"When do you not?" Jess huffed and got to his feet. "Come on, I know a place nearby."

"You always do," Rory grinned.

They got coffee and donuts from a hole in the wall around the corner, then made their way over to Washington Square Park to spend the afternoon reading on a park bench.

The next morning, Jess had a meeting at his favourite store in the entire city- Bluestockings. While it could be a little too hippie-dippy for his taste at times- they had a thing for vegan food- the rest of the place was cool. The store was collectively owned and staffed almost entirely by volunteers, with an affinity for the radical side of things. Despite Jess's usually neutral demeanour when it came to any sort of issues, the place spoke to him. It had the kind of vibe that he ultimately wanted for Truncheon, that 'Punk-Rock, Live and Let Live, We don't need your approval' aura that artists always seemed to flock to. The fact that he had gotten them to take a look at his book was one of the most exciting things that had ever happened to him.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this excited," Rory smirked.

They were sitting in the back of a cab on the way to the store and Jess couldn't stop fiddling with the sample books in his bag.

"I just really want them to like the book," Jess shrugged.

"They will," Rory assured him. "I mean, you fit right in."

"You really think I'm radical enough for them?"

"You're angry enough," she offered. "I mean, Joe Strummer wouldn't disapprove of you."

"High praise."

Rory smirked and leaned into his shoulder as their cab pulled over in front of the store.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Jess nodded and paid the cabbie.

They made their way inside and immediately picked out the girl they were supposed to be meeting with. Rory had spent hours on Skype with her, promoting just about every book Truncheon had ever printed.

"Shelly!" Rory greeted her.

"Rory!" The girl had short black hair and was wearing a t-shirt proclaiming her love for Obama, under a professional looking blazer. "It's so good to see you unpixelated!"

"Likewise," Rory laughed. "This is Jess."

"It's so great to finally meet you!" Shelly reached out and shook his hand. "The way Rory talks you up, you would think you were Hemingway reincarnated."

"He likes to think so," Rory rolled her eyes.

"She has a tendency to over embellish," Jess frowned.

"Well I think I'm the one whose going to be the judge of that," Shelly attempted to diffuse the tension. "Let's go talk in the back."

"I'm going to get some coffee," Rory told them. "I'll see you in a bit."

Jess nodded and followed Shelly to the back of the store, leaving Rory to her own devices.

"So I've read the book summary," Shelly started when they sat down. "It sounds amazing."

"Glad to hear it," Jess smiled. "So what do I have to do to get it in here?"

"Why do you want us to sell it?"

"I want everyone to sell it," Jess frowned.

"Well sure, but why us specifically? You obviously know what we're about, why should we be about you too?"

"Bluestocking is what I want Truncheon to be one day. I mean, maybe not _as_ radical and activist centered, but definitely close," Jess tried to explain. "I want it to be the kind of place where everyone can find something their interested in, no matter how far out it is."

"So how does that effect your writing?"

"I like to think that I don't write like anyone else. I try to make it my own, to give everything I write a perspective that's completely my own. I think that's the kind of book your readers would like. I mean, I may not have blatantly aggressive political views, or anything like that, but I'm giving them something I don't think they can find in Barnes and Noble."

Shelly nodded along as he spoke, her lips pursed in thought.

"Radical is kind of our thing," she finally pointed out. "That and glitter."

"I don't know about glitter, but I've definitely got a radical streak," Jess offered. "Like I said, I'm not trying to be the next Bill Maher or Bernie Sanders, but I'm also not standing idly by."

"Alright," Shelly nodded appreciatively. "Look, I've talked to Rory about just about everything Truncheon has printed, and I know the kind of stuff you put out, you're definitely in the same scene we are. I read your first book, and it was great, so how about you give me a copy of this one, I'll read it and pass it around to some of the guys and I'll get back to you."

"Seems fair," Jess nodded and handed over the proof-copy he had brought with him.

"Honestly, I'm ready to start selling this today," Shelly told him. "But they kind of frown on unilateral decisions around here."

"I get it," Jess assured her. "We can't decide on anything at Truncheon without arguing about it for days. And even then, it's usually Rory and Cynthia that push us to make a decision."

"Sounds about right," Shelly laughed. "Alright, I'm going to read this, pass it around and threaten everyone else with bodily harm until they agree to put in the store."

"You sound like Rory," Jess laughed. "She wanted to put a note in the front telling people that if they didn't like it, she would hunt them down."

"Now if you had included that, I wouldn't even have to try and sell this to everyone else, it would be radical enough."

"Rats," Jess snapped his fingers. "Do me a favour, don't tell Rory that. It took me weeks to convince her she couldn't threaten people with bodily harm just because they didn't like my writing."

"My lips are sealed," Shelly promised as she got to her feet.

"Thanks." Jess reached out and shook her hand again. "It was great to finally meet you."

"You too. Make sure to get a coffee before you go, it's the best in town- although I may be a little biased."

"Nothing wrong with that," Jess shrugged. "But ask Rory what she thinks of it, she's a bit of an addict."

"The way she tells it, she's just committed."

Jess rolled his eyes. "She should be committed."

"I'm definitely going to tell her you said _that_ ," Shelly shook her head disapprovingly.

"Go ahead, I tell her all the time."

They made their way back out to the floor and Shelly went to help a customer while Jess searched for Rory. He found her sitting in the middle of an aisle with her coffee, reading a book called _The Ethical Slut_.

"That looks intriguing," he loomed over her.

"It is," she smiled up at him. "So?"

"She's going to read it, pass it around and threaten everyone else until they agree to put it on the shelves."

"I told you you were going to like her," Rory laughed. "She's like me, but scarier."

"You can be pretty scary."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "I'm an absolute ray of sunshine. I should carry fairy dust in my pockets so I can spread the joy to everyone else."

"I'm very happy that you don't," Jess cringed. "How's the coffee?"

"Oh my God, it's like a gift from the Gods!"

"Which Gods?"

"Who cares- Hey!" She slapped his hand away as he reached for her cup. "Get your own!"

"Whatever happened to 'what's mine is yours'?" Jess pouted.

"I don't share coffee."

"Just a sip."

"Touch it and die," Rory growled.

"Please come work here!" Shelly pleaded, appearing in front of them. "You're one of us!"

"I know," Rory smiled. "But this one doesn't want to leave Philly."

"Excuse me?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "You're the one whose still in school."

"Come on! You can come live with me," Shelly argued. "If you want to stay here, blink once for yes, twice for no."

"I'm not holding her hostage," Jess laughed.

"Hey, I don't know that," Shelly held her hands up in defence. "Rory?"

'Help me' Rory mouthed, making Jess roll his eyes.

"I'm gonna leave you here," Jess threatened.

"Perfect!" Shelly beamed. "Come on, I'll show you your new apartment."

She reached out to pull Rory up off the floor, but they were both laughing too hard to actually get up.

"You're both nuts," Jess rolled his eyes. "I'm going to get some coffee."

"Get me another one!" Rory called after him.

"Me too!" Shelly agreed.

Jess just shook his head and kept walking.

"So, now that he's gone," Shelly laughed and sat down next to Rory. "Seriously, you should definitely think about coming back for a job if you ever decide to move to the city."

"Thanks," Rory smiled. "But I really am happy in Philly. If you ever felt like spreading the business, though..."

"We've thought about it," Shelly admitted. "I mean, this place has been so successful, and Philly is definitely coming up in the world. If you're serious, I may be calling you."

"I'm definitely serious," Rory nodded emphatically. "I mean, I love Truncheon too, but to start something like this would be amazing."

"It's so worth it," Shelly assured her.

"What's worth it?" Jess asked, returning with three coffee cups.

"Bless you," Shelly accepted the cup. "I knew I liked you."

"He's pretty great," Rory agreed. "Thanks, Babe."

"No problem. What's worth what?"

"Starting a place like this," Shelly waved around. "We've been tossing around the idea of expanding, and Rory's expressing some interest."

"Is she?" Jess looked over at his girlfriend.

"Ever so slightly," Rory shrugged.

"We're keeping her in the loop."

"Cool," Jess nodded.

"Alright, I should go back to doing my job," Shelly sighed and got to her feet again. "Rory, I'll talk to you soon, and Jess, I'll get your book on the shelves if it's the last thing I do."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Jess laughed. "I look forward to appearing as a witness when you go to trial for your efforts."

They browsed around the store for a few more minutes, before heading to their next meeting a couple blocks over.

 _Three Lives_ was the kind of bookshop that Charles Dickens wrote about. It was like a pocket of time, trapped in the middle of the city, and Rory fell in love as soon as she saw it.

"How have you never brought me here before?!" Rory demanded as they approached the store.

"Because I'm a terrible person," Jess shrugged.

"Obviously!" She shoved him as hard as she could- which wasn't as satisfying as she had hoped since he barely even stumbled.

"Come on," Jess laughed and pulled her towards the entrance.

When they walked inside, they were greeted by an older man with a warm smile and glasses.

"Hello, how are you today?"

"We're great, thanks." Rory smiled back.

"I'm Jess Mariano," Jess held his hand out. "I have a meeting with Mr. Flag."

"Call me George," he got up and shook Jess's hand. "And who is this ravishing young lady on your arm?"

"I'm Rory," she giggled and shook his hand. "I'm an editor at Truncheon."

"Is that all?" The George raised a joking eyebrow, and Rory immediately decided that she loved the man.

"She also happens to be my girlfriend," Jess nodded.

"Well aren't you a lucky man."

"I think so," Jess smiled warmly at his girlfriend.

"So, Rory, do you think he's talented? Or are you just with him for his charm?"

"He's got about as much charm as a dead fly," Rory wrinkled her nose.

"Hey!"

"So talent," George smiled. "Well that's a good start. You look very familiar, Jess, have we met?"

"I used to come in here a lot when I lived in the city," Jess offered. "I lived a couple blocks away."

"Yes!" George snapped his fingers. "I remember now, I'd never seen a young man so interested in classic literature. I seem to recall you going through quite a phase involving Jane Austen."

"I think I've gone through a phase for every classic author you could think of," Jess chuckled.

"Well, it looks like it's gotten you places."

"Yes, Sir,"

"Come on, let's have a seat and you can tell me all about this book you've written. Can I get you two some coffee?"

"I'm okay," Jess shook his head.

"Me too," Rory agreed.

"Alright," George shrugged and led them to the back of the store, where there was a cluster of chairs and couches. "So, tell me what I'm selling."

"Us," Jess summed up. "It's called _The Notes in the Margins,_ and it's loosely based on us."

"All the best ones are," George smiled at them. "So it's a love story?"

"Partially," Jess nodded. "But it's a lot more than that, it's about growing up and finding yourself, but I'd like to think that it's not the same as every other book out there."

"It's not," Rory jumped in. "It's like nothing else I've ever read, and I've read just about everything."

"She's not kidding," Jess nodded. "If you thought I was well-read, she's a living library."

"My kind of girl," George smiled. "Do you have a copy?"

Jess fished the book out of his bag and handed it over.

"I'm guessing this dedication is for you," George looked over at Rory, who blushed and nodded. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," she smiled at Jess.

"Alright," George put the book down and slapped his knees. "I like you, Jess. And I remember you coming in here before, and I liked you then. I would be happy to sell your book."

"Really?"

"Really," George smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you."

"I look forward to reading this."

"You won't regret it," Rory assured him. "It's amazing. And I'm not just saying that because I have to."

"I don't doubt that," George shook her hand. "It was lovely to meet you."

"You too," Rory smiled. "I'm sure we'll talk soon."

"I look forward to it."

They said their goodbyes and Rory and Jess went to get a late lunch.

"I can't believe you never took me there," Rory shoved him again. "That place was amazing!"

"Honestly, I'd kind of forgotten about it," Jess wrinkled his nose. "I haven't been there in years."

"I'll let you off this time," Rory frowned at him. "But you better stop holding out on me like this."

"Yes, Dear."

Rory laughed and shoved him again, which tripped her up more than him, but it was the effort that counted.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The next morning, Jess left before Rory had even woken up, leaving a note on the pillow telling her he was going to an early meeting. What he didn't tell her, was that his early meeting was at The Strand. He had organized the meeting without telling anyone, not even Luke, who he usually told everything. Getting his book into The Strand was a long shot- a _very_ long shot- but he had to try. The Strand was the Holy Grail of bookstores, and if he could get his book in there he was made. He would have settled for never writing again if The Strand sold his book, but he didn't want to get his hopes up- or Rory's. So he snuck out of the room as quietly as he could and prayed to whoever, or whatever, would listen as he hailed a cab.

When Rory got up and found the note, she immediately sent Jess a text to find out where he had gone. It was strange that he hadn't woken her up, or told her about the meeting, but she was trying not to read too much into it or get too worried. When he didn't get back to her right away, she figured he was in the middle of the meeting and went about her morning, making a crappy cup of hotel room coffee to get herself going and try to keep her mind off of Jess's sudden disappearing act. When half an hour had gone by and she still hadn't heard from Jess, Rory went down to the desk to find out where she could get breakfast. The concierge directed her to Think Coffee, which was only about a block away.

"The coffee there is fantastic," she assured Rory. "And they have pretty good food too. Do you want me to call you a cab?"

"That's okay," Rory shook her head. "You said it was, what? A five minute walk?"

"More or less."

"I could do with some exercise, then. Would you mind writing out some directions?"

"Sure," she smiled and scribbled the address and surrounding streets on a post-it note. "There you go."

"Thanks," Rory smiled. "If you see my boyfriend come through, can you tell him where I've gone?"

"Of course."

By some sort of miracle, Rory was able to get herself to the coffee shop without making any wrong turns and she had just sat down with her coffee when Jess called.

"Sorry, I was in my meeting," he apologized. "Where are you?"

"Think Coffee, it's around the corner from the hotel."

"I know the place. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Okay-" Before Rory could say anything else, Jess had hung up the phone. "Okay, good talking to you." Rory nodded to herself and put the phone away, pulling out her book.

When Jess walked into the coffee shop fifteen minutes later, he could barely contain his excitement as he searched the crowd for his girlfriend. When he couldn't immediately pick her out of the crowd, he pulled out his phone and called her again.

"Where are you?" He asked when she answered.

"Where are _you_?" She countered.

"Near the counter."

"I'm sitting at a table in the back corner."

She got up and waved her hands around so he could see her.

"Okay, you can stop doing that," Jess laughed. "I can see you."

He put his phone back in his pocket and made his way over to her.

"Hey," he kissed her cheek and sat down.

"Hey. Where were you this morning?"

"I had a meeting."

"You mentioned that in your note," Rory pursed her lips. "What meeting were you going to at 7 in the morning without me?"

"I don't take you to all my meetings," Jess argued.

"But you _do_ tell me about them, so spill."

"You're very impatient, you know that?" Jess taunted her, barely containing his own excitement.

"Jess!" She punched his shoulder.

"Okay, okay," he relented. "If you must know, I had a meeting at The Strand."

"YOU WHAT!?"

"And I... kind of got them interested in _Notes in the Margins._ "

"JESS!" Rory squealed and jumped up from her seat, hurling herself at him. "JESS THAT'S AMAZING!"

The rest of the people in the shop were staring at them, but Jess couldn't have cared less.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She punched his arm again.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he laughed. "Are you surprised?"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"No you're not," Jess shook his head. "You're too excited."

"I know!" She squealed and hugged him again. "Jess! I'm so happy for you!"

"Really? I couldn't tell," he laughed.

"Don't mock me! This is celebration worthy!"

"It's pretty cool," he admitted.

"Would you stop playing 'Mr. Cool Guy' and admit that you're two seconds away from squealing like a teenage girl when she sees her best friend Monday morning in the hallway?"

"I'm squealing on the inside," Jess assured her.

"Come on," Rory laughed and jumped to her feet. "We need to go celebrate. Come on!"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him from the coffee shop.

"Where are we going?" Jess laughed.

"To celebrate." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"We're going to need a cab," Jess smiled when she finally pulled away.

"It's only five minutes," Rory frowned.

"We need a cab," Jess repeated, flagging one down and pulling her inside. "The Gatsby Hotel."

The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb, while Rory leaned over and sealed their lips together again.

"Okay, if we're going to keep celebrating like this, remind me to keep all my meetings a secret," Jess chuckled as they lay in bed a few hours later.

"It's not nice to keep secrets," Rory chastised him.

"Okay, no more secrets," he promised. "But you have to admit, it was a pretty good surprise."

"You're nuts," Rory shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"I can't believe I did it," Jess laughed. "I have a book in The Strand. The Strand! I mean, it's every writer's dream!"

"I know," Rory beamed at him. "This is so amazing!"

"That is definitely the word of the day," Jess laughed. "What time is it?"

"Um..." Rory flailed around for a minute, looking for her phone. "It's... Noon."

"We should probably get up," Jess sighed. "I have another meeting at 1:30."

"But it's so comfortable here," Rory moaned.

"You don't have to go anywhere," Jess pointed out. "You can lay here all day."

"But you're my pillow," she threw one of her legs over his hip.

"Sorry," Jess chuckled. "But I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of you staying here all day, like this, just waiting for me to come back."

"Well I do declare!" Rory fanned her face dramatically.

"I'm just saying," Jess smirked and started a trail of open mouthed kisses down her shoulder.

"Mm," Rory hummed appreciatively and closed her eyes again.

"See, doesn't it sound tempting?" Jess smirked.

"Mr. Mariano, are you trying to seduce me?" she joked.

"I'm pretty sure I've succeeded." He pressed another kiss to her throat earning himself a satisfied moan.

"Maybe a day in bed wouldn't be _so_ bad," Rory reasoned.

Jess smirked and kissed her again. "That's all I'm saying."

"You're a manipulator," Rory tried to frown.

"Well you've obviously been a bad influence on me," Jess kissed her one last time, then got up and started pulling on his clothes.

"Hey! You don't have to go anywhere for another hour!" Rory protested.

"Yes, but I was going to go get you some food."

"Oh," Rory frowned thoughtfully for a second, then nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be back in a couple minutes," Jess laughed.

"You better be!"

True to his promise, Jess returned fifteen minutes later with a pizza and garlic bread.

"You know, this doesn't seem like the kind of food you would eat if you were planning on keeping me in bed all day," Rory mused when he pulled out the garlic bread.

"It has extra cheese."

"Oh, well in that case," Rory laughed and took the bag from him.

She took a giant bite of the bread, then leaned over and whispered breathily, "Don't you want to kiss me now?"

"You are a nutcase," Jess laughed, but kissed her anyways.

They finished their lunch and Jess headed to his meeting at a bookstore in Brooklyn called Spoonbill and Sugartown, while Rory lounged in bed and read. When Jess came back a few hours later, he found Rory exactly where he had left her, wearing one of his shirts and watching Bewitched.

"Nice to know you can follow instructions when it suits you," Jess smirked at her, leaning against the wall.

"I don't recall them being instructions," Rory frowned. "Last time I checked, it was my idea."

"It was _my_ idea," Jess shook his head. "And you decided to go along with it."

"Same thing," Rory waved him off. "How did your meeting go?"

"They weren't interested," he shrugged.

"Aw, I'm sorry," Rory pouted and held her arms out to him. "Do you want me to make it better?"

"Definitely," Jess smirked and launched himself onto the bed, making Rory laugh as she scrambled out of his way.

"A little excited, are we?" She giggled.

Jess shook his head, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, and pinned her to the mattress, pressing his lips to hers.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Jess had one last meeting the next morning before they headed to Pittsburgh, so he left Rory to pack while he made his way across town to _Book Culture._ When he got back to the hotel, Rory had everything packed into the car and was ready to go.

"How did it go?" She asked when he came back into the hotel room.

"They liked me," Jess smiled. "And even better than that, they're going to carry my book in all three of their stores."

"That's awesome!" Rory squealed and hugged him. "Good job!"

"Thank you," he smiled back at her. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, the car's all packed. We just have to drop our keys off at the desk."

"Alright, let's go!" Jess took her hand. "One more city, and we can finally go home."

"Oh, don't be like that," Rory threw herself into his side, making him stumble. "You're having fun."

"I am having fun," he agreed. "But I also like sleeping in my own bed."

"You're such a homebody," Rory laughed at him.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Jess shrugged.

"What about travelling the world and spreading your wings?"

"I _have_ spread my wings. I've lived in New York, Stars Hollow and now Philly."

"You lived in a drug den in New York," Rory scoffed. "That doesn't count. Come on, don't you want to see the world?"

"Only if I'm seeing it with you," he smirked.

"Wow!" Rory laughed. "That is a new level of cheesiness!"

"What can I say, you're inspiring."

"God, please don't let it be known that I'm the muse of cheesiness," Rory groaned. "If that ends up on my tombstone, I'm going to kill you."

"If it's on your tombstone you won't be able to kill me," Jess pointed out.

"I will find a way," Rory assured him. "I will Cathy Earnshaw my way back into your life and beat you to death with whatever I can find."

"So you're going to be the kind of ghost that can pick things up?" Jess laughed.

"I'm very talented."

"Yes you are." He threw an arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple.

The drive from New York to Pittsburgh was 6 hours without traffic but, as Jess was eager to point out, the last time there was no traffic in New York was when Alexander Hamilton was still alive. Two hours into their drive, they hadn't even made it out of the city.

"I need food!" Rory complained. "I'm starving!"

"Just wait until we get out of the city," Jess told her. "If we stop now, we'll be stuck forever. Isn't there a box of Twinkies somewhere in the back?"

"I want real food!"

"Since when are Twinkies not real food?" Jess scoffed. "Last week you almost castrated me for even implying that."

"I think you're being a little over-dramatic," Rory rolled her eyes. "Besides, I would never do that to you, it would just be to my own detriment."

"So you admit it," Jess nodded. "You just keep me around for the amazing sex."

"And the private library that seems to have accumulated in the apartment," she nodded. "Sorry to have to tell you like this, but it's for the best."

"I understand," Jess nodded. "So, Twinkies?"

"Fine," Rory huffed and pulled off her seat belt so she could reach into the back seat. "We have way too many books back here."

"Bite your tongue!" Jess spanked her lightly. "There are never too many books."

"They're blocking the food!" Rory explained. "We should have put them in the trunk."

"We did put them in the trunk," Jess pointed out. "These were the ones that didn't fit."

"We have a problem," Rory stretched farther into the back to get the box.

"I thought we were just committed?"

"Touche... Got it!" She grabbed the corner store bag that held her snacks and dropped back into her seat. "Damn it!"

"What?" Jess glanced over at her.

"There's no Twinkies left," she sulked, making Jess laugh. "Shut up!"

"I'm sorry," he shook his head.

"You mock my pain!" Rory cried, pressing her hand to her forehead dramatically.

"Life is pain, you fruitcake."

"Would you quit calling me a fruitcake?" Rory frowned. "It's like the most disgusting of all the desserts. If you're going to call me names, at least call me something that tastes good."

"Sure, Oreo."

"Hey, I know! Why don't you just keep your pet names to yourself?"

Jess laughed at her suggestion, then started honking his horn and yelling at the idiot driving in front of them.

"Why don't you yell a little louder," Rory winced. "I don't think he heard you."

"Obviously, seeing as he's STILL NOT MOVING!"

"Jess, I am the only person on this road that can hear you," Rory covered her ears. "So would you please stop yelling?"

"Sorry," Jess huffed. "I hate traffic."

"I know that," Rory assured him. "You know what would make you feel better?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"A red vine," Rory smiled and handed the candy over.

"You know, I don't think it will, but thank you."

"No problem."

Rory took a bite of her own piece piece and started flipping through their CD's.

"Why do we have such crappy music?"

"Excuse you?" Jess demanded.

"There's nothing good here."

"No, you're just not in the mood for any of it. It's all good."

"Sublime?" Rory challenged.

"What about them?"

"They're not exactly what I would call 'good'."

"That's because you're a prick."  
"Speak for yourself," Rory laughed. "Mister, 'I-can't-hang-my-band-shirts-next-to-each-other-if-the-bands-don't-get-along'."

"My organizational skills are not being called into question here," Jess argued.

"They are now," Rory smirked. "So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"There is nothing wrong with the way I organize my closet, especially since you are the _Queen_ of weird organizational habits."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rory shook her head.

"Really? Miss 'I-organize-my-sock-drawer-by-brand-colour-and-size'."

"I am not that bad!"

"You're close."

"Okay, but I don't organize the cupboards by brand."

"You don't organize the cupboards at all," Jess pointed out. "You barely even step into the kitchen."

"That is a blatant lie."

"You keep telling yourself that," Jess nodded.

"I cooked dinner the other day!"

"That was three weeks ago," Jess shook his head. "And Kraft Dinner doesn't count."

"Who says?"

"I do. Pouring some pasta into hot water and adding a packet of cheese dust is not cooking."

"It is too," Rory argued.

"No it's not!" Jess laughed. "Now, if you were making it from scratch that would be different."

"Fine," she snapped. "When we get back to Philly, I'm going to make you dinner, completely from scratch and you will eat those words. You hear me? _Eat them_!"

"I look forward to it," Jess smirked. "And I'll be sure to have the fire department on standby."

"Ya, laugh it up Buddy. I'm going to cook you the kind of meal that Julia Child would be jealous of."

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious."

"I can see that," he assured her.

"You don't seem too concerned."

"I'm very concerned," he promised.

"No, you're patronizing me, and I don't appreciate it."

"I'm sorry," he reached over and squeezed her knee.

"Whatever," she pushed his hand away and pulled out another piece of candy.

Jess smirked and turned his focus back to the road.

Jess finally agreed to stop half an hour later, when they got into Warren, New Jersey.

"There's a Panera just off there," Rory pointed to an upcoming exit.

"Panera?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little healthy for your taste?"

"Are you going to spend the entire day mocking my eating habits and cooking skills?" Rory asked.

"Maybe, it's kind of fun."

Rory smacked his arm and pointed to the exit again.

"Just pull off. I'm starving. I think I might actually collapse in on myself from lack of food."

Jess snorted and changed lanes, electing not to comment on her dramatics.

"Don't mock, just feed me," she snapped.

"Yes Dear."

"I hate it when you say that," Rory cringed.

"I know," he smirked. "Where am I going from here?"

"Um... left," Rory consulted her notebook and the GPS.

She successfully navigated them to the cafe and practically bolted from the car before Jess could even put it in park.

"You can't be that hungry," Jess followed her into the restaurant. "You just finished an entire box of Red Vines, and it's barely noon."

"Those don't fill you up," Rory reasoned. "They're empty calories that give you a sugar boost. And time has nothing to do with things. We ate breakfast at 8 this morning, it's feeding time."

"Got it," Jess nodded. "You get the food, I'm going to hit the restroom."

"What do you want?"

"Whatever," he shrugged and left her to join the queue.

Rory ordered them a strawberry and banana smoothie each, then got Jess a turkey and avocado BLT with a side of black bean soup, and a grilled cheese with tomato soup for herself.

"Okay, maybe not as healthy as I thought," Jess shook his head when he saw her selections.

"Yours is healthy," Rory shrugged. "Mine is classic."

Jess nodded his agreement and took the tray from her.

"So where are we going from here?" He asked once they sat down.

Rory pulled her trusty notebook out of her bag and flipped it open.

"We're in... Warren?"

"Yep," Jess nodded through a mouthful of food.

"Okay..." She pulled out a map and flipped through her notebook. "If we get gas here, and pick up some more snacks-"

"Twinkies," Jess interrupted.

"Twinkies," she laughed. "Then we shouldn't have to really stop again until... Willowhill, Pennsylvania? It's about a three hour drive."

"Seems reasonable," Jess nodded. "What time do you think we'll get to the hotel?"

"Late," Rory wrinkled her nose. "Depending on traffic... I don't know, 10?"

"Seriously?"

"It's really far," Rory shrugged.

"If you say so."

"I do. And as the designated Navigator/DJ/Snack Provider/Trip Coordinator, what I say goes."

"That's a lot of titles," Jess nodded appreciatively.

"I'm a woman on many talents," she smirked.

"Oh, I know."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

"Ten o' clock my ass," Jess laughed at his girlfriend as they pulled up to their hotel at 5:30 that afternoon.

"Okay, so maybe I was a little off."

"A _little_?" Jess snorted. "Remind me again why _you_ were my tutor in high school, since you obviously failed both math and geography. I'm officially demoting you from your navigator position."

"No, come on!" Rory pleaded. "So I was a little off on the time frame, I still got us here. And I was your tutor because you were lazy and had a crush on me."

"Sorry," Jess leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. "Now please tell me where the hell we are."

"This, is the Inn on the Mexican War Streets," Rory beamed. "It's a remodelled mansion that used to be owned by some department store bajillionaire, and is now a hotel that looks like it just got pulled out of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney."

"I'm never putting you in charge of travel plans again," Jess shook his head.

"It's gonna be fun," she promised. "There's nothing but good reviews about this place."

"If you say so," Jess sighed and pulled over in front of the building.

"I do. And I'm still the official trip coordinator, so you have no choice but to believe me."

"You're on thin ice," Jess warned.

"You can't fire me, I'm in charge!" Rory skipped towards the lobby.

"A hostile takeover is never out of the question," he called, following behind her.

"Good Evening!" They were greeted by an older gentleman at the front desk. "How are you this fine evening."

"We're good, thanks." Rory smiled at him. "We have a reservation."

"Mrs. Mariano?" The man asked, glancing at his computer.

"That's the one," she nodded, avoiding the amused look she knew Jess was giving her.

"And this must be Mr. Mariano," he turned to Jess.

"Must be," Jess nodded.

"I'm Karl, one of the owners, you'll probably meet my partner Jeff at some point during your stay. What brings you to town?"

"Work," Jess answered shortly.

"He's an author," Rory expanded. "We're promoting his new book."

"Anything I might have heard of?"

"I doubt it," Jess shook his head. "This is the first time I've been published outside of Philly."

"Well I'll make sure to keep an eye out for your name in the next few months," Karl promised. "Alright, if I could just get one of you to sign here."

He handed over a pen and room contract, which Jess picked up, then turned to Rory and related the available amenities.

"It looks like you're going to be in the Mini Suite, up on the third floor," he handed Rory the keys and directed them towards a staircase. "Can I help you with your bags?"

"We're fine," Jess assured him. "Where do we park?"

"Just around the back, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"I think that's it," Rory shook her head. "Thanks."

"You have a wonderful stay, and call down if you need anything at all."

"Thanks," Jess nodded and pulled Rory back outside to the car. "This place looks like your grandparents house would if they had a hoarding problem," he muttered.

"Stop it," Rory snickered. "It's nice. And they do have a hoarding problem, you've never been in the basement."

"It's creepy," Jess shook his head.

"It's different," Rory corrected. "Now come on, let's get our bags and check out our room."

"We're going to die here," Jess announced when they entered the room.

"You're being ridiculous," Rory laughed at him. "It's quaint."

"It's terrifying."

The room was small, but comfortable. The decor had definitely walked straight out of an old B-level movie, but Rory didn't mind. She was in love with the sloped attic ceiling over the bed, and nothing else really mattered.

"Fine, you can sleep in the car," she shrugged. "And I'll stay here, in this very comfortable bed."

She turned and threw herself against the pillows.

Jess huffed and dropped down beside her. "Fine, but if we die here-"

"You can blame me," Rory promised. "Do you want to write a note now and stick it in your pocket for the cops to find, just in case?"

"You mock, but I'm seriously thinking about it."

"Whatever," Rory laughed and patted his cheek. "Let's go find food. I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Jess rolled his eyes.

"Feed me, Seymour!"

"Alright, alright," Jess got up and offered her a hand. "Just don't eat me."

"No promises!"

The next morning, after sneaking some food upstairs for breakfast, they had a meeting at Caliban Book Shop. Jess was pretty confident that they would to take him on, they were right up his alley- indie, artistic and willing to publish local artists. And on top of that, they were also home to a record store which specialized in Indie Rock, Sixties Pop and Punk.

"Oh my God, it's like heaven!" Rory swooned when they got to the store. "Look at all the books! And the records!"

"So I'm going to assume you're _not_ joining me in my meeting," Jess laughed.

"You assume correctly."

"You're not even going to wish me good luck?" Jess asked as she practically floated away from him.

"Good luck," she called back absently.

Jess watched her go, trying not to laugh too loudly, then went in search of the owner.

Meanwhile, Rory found herself sitting on the floor, flipping through boxes of CD's and records, with a pile of books beside her.

"Can I give you a hand with anything?" A tall guy with dark hair covering his eyes and tattoos up and down his arms hovered over her.

"I'm good," Rory looked up at him. "Just browsing."

"Anything in particular? The White Stripes are pretty good."

"I would say they're a bit more than _pretty good_ , but sure," Rory continued to focus on the box in front of her.

"Fair enough," he chuckled and crouched down beside her. "So, what kind of music are you into?"

"The kind I'm looking at," Rory stated obviously.

"Right... wouldn't have pegged you for a Punk girl."

"No? What kind of girl would you peg me for?"

"Madonna, maybe some Duran Duran. I'm Chase, by the way."

Rory grimaced and pulled out a Distillers CD, adding it to her pile of books.

"Distillers," Chase nodded appreciatively. "Definitely wouldn't have pegged you as a Brody Dalle kind of person."

"Well you know what they say about books and covers," Rory rolled her eyes.

"Maybe, but I bet you've never heard of these guys." He stood and retrieved a case from the table above her head.

"The Devotchkas," Rory took the case from him. "Live Fast, Die Young."

"They're great," Chase assured her.

"They were okay," Rory shrugged and passed the CD back. "And besides, OiToy was better."

He gaped at her for a minute, obviously surprised by her knowledge of obscure all-girl punk bands, then recovered himself and started to laugh.

"Okay, so I _definitely_ pegged you wrong. Let me guess, you're a fan of The Krays too?"

"Meh," Rory shrugged and pulled an old Rancid CD out of the bargain bin. "They have their moments."

"Rory!" Jess called from a few shelves over. "Marco!"

"Polo!" Rory laughed. "I'm looking through the bargain bins."

"That tells me nothing," Jess called back.

"I don't exactly have a map!"

"You could get up and come find me," Jess pointed out.

"Nah, you're getting closer. Marco!"

"Polo!" He came around the corner and spotted her, along with the tall, good looking employee hovering over her. "Hey."

"Hey," Rory gave him a tight smile. "How did it go."

"Just like I said it would."

"Congratulations! You know what you should do to celebrate?"

"What?"

"Sort through that bin until you find me another Distillers CD."

"Huh," Jess locked his jaw. "That's not exactly what I had in mind."

Obviously realizing that he wasn't going to be acknowledged, the guy that had been hovering over Rory stood and went back to stacking CD's, mumbling something about calling if they needed any help.

"Who was that?" Jess whispered, dropping onto the floor beside Rory.

"His name is Chase. He thought I was a Madonna fan."

"You are a Madonna fan," Jess pointed out. "And a Spice Girls fan, which could definitely be categorized as a worse musical offence."

"Shove off!" Rory pushed him. "The Spice Girls are amazing, and you and I both know that you have danced around the apartment to 'Spice Up Your Life'."

"Because you wouldn't let go of me."

"It still counts."

"No it doesn't," Jess shook his head. "But whatever. So he was pre-judging your taste in music?"

"Ya, and then I pulled out a Distillers CD and he gave it a second thought and tried to impress me with The Devotchkas last CD."

Jess grimaced, "I hope you put him in his place."

"I did," Rory assured him. "And that was basically it. I was mostly ignoring him."

"And he wasn't taking the hint."

"Not so much," she shook her head. "But he's gone now. And I was serious about checking the other bin. I want a new copy of 'Sing Sing Death House' ours is skipping way too much."

"I'm with you on that," Jess nodded in agreement. "It's been driving me nuts."

"Exactly, so start digging."

He nodded and started sorting through the bin she had pointed to, pulling out the odd case as he searched and making his own pile of purchases.

"He's still watching me, isn't he?" Rory asked a few minutes later.

"Yep," Jess nodded, watching the guy out of the corner of his eye.

"Creepy," she whispered melodically.

"Just a little," Jess agreed. "You want to get out of here?"

"Did you find the Distillers CD?"

"I don't think they have one."

"Can I help you guys find something?" Chase suddenly joined them again. "You look like you're trying to find something specific."

"We're looking for a copy of 'Sing Sing Death House'," Jess offered.

"Try over there," Chase pointed to a table on the other side of the room.

"Thanks," Rory smiled and got to her feet, then leaned over to pick up the pile of books she had collected.

"Okay, can I just point out that as of yesterday, you were complaining that we had picked up too many books on this trip. But here you are, adding to the problem," Jess frowned.

"It's not a problem," Rory shook her head. "As long as they don't get in the way of the food."

"Alright," Jess held his hands up in defence.

"And besides, it's not like there's that many."

Jess laughed as she tried to balance the pile she had accumulated, which was almost over her head.

"Would you just look for the CD?" Rory huffed. "I'm going to go pay for these."

"Yes, Dear."

"I'm going to hurt you."

Jess smirked and turned to look over the table Chase had pointed them to.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

"So all in all?" Jess asked as they packed up the car on Friday afternoon.

"All in all, what?" Rory asked, trying to strategically fit all the books they had accumulated into the backseat without blocking the food again.

"Success?"

"Our library is going to think so."

"Our library, if it were sentient, would be pleading with us to stop stuffing it with books," Jess laughed. "We have absolutely no space left."

"There's all sorts of space on the floor, and a couple walls that could do with some literary decoration."

"We have a sickness," Jess slammed the trunk closed. "Other than our own personal purchases, success?"

"You're the one whose been selling his soul," Rory shrugged. "Do _you_ think it was a success?"

"It definitely wasn't terrible."

"I think it was great," Rory smiled. "And we should definitely do it again."

"Sell my soul?"

"No, I don't think you have any left to sell," she wrinkled her nose. "We should go on another trip."

"Why don't we get home before you start booking plane tickets."

"We're never getting on a plane again," Rory shook her head. "If you want to go somewhere that requires a plane, you're either going to need to learn how to apparate, or wait for transporters to be invented."

"Got it," Jess nodded. "So if there aren't any planes in our future, what kind of trip are you planning?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll keep you posted."

"You do that. Ready?"

"I think so," Rory surveyed her work. "It's like a perfect game of Tetris."

"Yeah, you're a real artist," Jess assured her. "Let's go."

The drive back to Philly was bitter sweet, both of them overly aware that their return meant that they only had a couple weeks until Rory went back to Yale.

"What are you thinking about?" Jess asked, noticing that she hadn't spoken in close to an hour.

"Nothing," she shrugged.

"Come on," he reached over and poked her. "You only keep your thoughts to yourself when you're over thinking things. Out with it, Gilmore."

"I'm just sad it's over."

"What's over?" Jess frowned. "The trip? It's not that big a deal, we can go on another one."

"I know, I just don't want it to be over. It feels like we just barely left, and now we're going home and I'm going to have to go back to school and leave you again." As per usual, all these thoughts came out in a muddled rush, which Jess had to take a few seconds to pick apart.

"Okay, yes, you are going back to school, but it's only for a few months," he tried to reassure her. "And then you'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"That's months away!"

"It's not that long," Jess pushed. "You spend a couple months in school- which you _love_ \- and I'll come visit you, and you'll come back to Philly and we'll talk all the time and before you know it, it'll be Thanksgiving."

"You make it sound like it's nothing," Rory frowned. "It feels like forever. You've got the guys to keep you company when I'm gone, and all the work to keep you busy. I just sit and study and listen to Paris go on and on about who knows what, and watch her perfect freak show relationship."

"Are you saying our relationship isn't perfect?" Jess tried to joke.

"Not when we're in different states!"

"It's only a four hour drive," Jess squeezed her knee. "It's not like there's an ocean keeping us apart. I can always make the drive when you need me."

"I don't want you to have to make the drive!" Rory cried, getting frustrated. "I just want this year to be over!"

"I know," Jess sighed. "I know. It'll be over soon, I promise."

"I know," she huffed. "I'm just in a bad mood."

"I can see that. Would a coffee break make you feel better?"

"No," she sulked. "I'll get over it."

Jess chanced a glance at her from the corner of his eye, trying to decide if she was serious or not.

"I'm fine, Jess." She saw him watching her. "I just hate being apart."

"I know, Ror. Me too," he took her hand. "It's not going to be too much longer though. A few more months, and they'll need an industrial solvent to pull us apart."

Rory snorted and squeezed his hand back.

"You're a sap, you know that?"

"Only when it comes to you."

"Rory!" Cynthia screamed, running out of the store to greet them that afternoon. "You're back! You're back!"

"I know!" Rory laughed, getting out of the car.

"I missed you so much!" Cynthia threw her arms around her, throwing them both off balance.

"I can see that," Rory steadied them against the car.

"I'd forgotten what it was like around here without you," Cynthia explained. "It's terrible! The boys have been driving me nuts! Please never leave me again!"

"They couldn't have been _that_ bad," Jess rounded the car to join them.

"You're one of them, you don't get an opinion," Cynthia snapped, then turned back to Rory. "You can never leave me alone here again. At least not when school is out. There's no escape!"

"You make it sound like they were holding you hostage," Rory laughed.

"They might as well have been. By the way, when you see your desk, you're going to want to kill them."

"I have no doubt," Rory frowned.

"RORY!" Matt screamed and bolted outside. "I missed you so much!"

"Nice to see you too, man." Jess mumbled as his partner ran over and pulled his girlfriend into a hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning around.

"I'm sorry, do you want a hug too?" Matt turned to him.

"I'm good."

"That's what I thought," he smirked and turned back to Rory. "Never leave us again!"

"What is it with you guys?" Rory rolled her eyes. "I've only been helping out around here for a few months, you got along just fine until then."

"But it's so much better with you here," Cynthia joined in.

"Isn't it good to be loved?" Chris asked, strolling out of the store to join them.

"Fabulous," Rory smiled and pulled him into a hug. "How are things?"

"Pretty solid," he shrugged. "You guys have put us on the map, we can barely keep up with the orders we've been getting."

"It was mostly Jess," Rory admitted. "I mostly shopped while he sold his soul."

"That explains the small library in the backseat," Matt shook his head. "What is wrong with you people?"

"We have a sickness," Jess shrugged. "You gonna help me?"

"If we must," Chris sighed dramatically and joined his friend at the trunk.

"Come on," Cynthia looped her arm through Rory's and pulled her towards the building. "I have so many things to tell you."

"That's okay!" Matt called after them. "We'll just get all these bags out ourselves."

"Thanks, babe!" Cynthia waved at him, not turning around.

"Okay, what is going on?" Rory asked as she was dragged up the stairs to Matt and Chris's apartment.

"I think Matt is going to propose," Cynthia announced.  
"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I'm not totally sure, but I have this weird feeling, and I know we haven't known each other for that long, but you're the closest friend I have in this city and I need you to tell me if I'm crazy."

"Okay, then," Rory nodded. "Well... I would hope we're friends, since we practically live together-"

"Not what I needed your opinion on," Cynthia pushed her. "Our friendship has been established."

"Sorry. Um... I don't know. Why do you think he's going to propose?"

"He asked me to move in, officially."

"And that means proposal?" Rory frowned. "Jess asked _me_ to move in, and he hasn't proposed."

"Oh please," Cynthia rolled her eyes. "We both know that the two of you talk about getting married all the time, everyone knows it's going to happen sooner or later."

"Wow, you make it sound so romantic," Rory deadpanned.

"It is romantic, the two of you are meant for each other, but it's different with me and Matt. I mean, I love him, I absolutely love him, but I don't know if we're meant to be together forever, you know?"

"I do," Rory nodded. "I mean, you know what got me here, the kind of relationship I was in. That was what I thought about Logan, but the difference is that I've seen you and Matt together."

"And?"

"And I think that he loves you."

"Think?" Cynthia asked desperately.

"You're the only one who can know," Rory shrugged and squeezed her friends hand. "I can't tell you what to do, other than to take it one day at a time and not jump into things if you're not ready. Maybe just stick to living together for a bit."

"Right," Cynthia nodded thoughtfully.

"But what I _can_ tell you," Rory continued. "Is that I'm not the one you really need to talk to about this."

"I know," Cynthia sighed. "I know. I'll talk to Matt, I will. I just needed an outside perspective first."

"Well I'm more than happy to offer mine," Rory smiled. "So, what else did I miss?"

Cynthia spent the next half hour filling her in on the comings and goings of the store while she was away, as well as the progress they had made with the bar.

"I think Matt wants to step away from Truncheon permanently and focus all his attention on it," she admitted. "I mean, he doesn't want to write publishing off completely, but I think he's liking it a lot more than this place."

"Hey, if that's what he wants, then more power to him," Rory shrugged. "He should get to take on the part of the business that he like most."

"Yeah, I've been trying to tell him that, but I think he thinks the guys will think he's jumping ship."

"They won't think that," Rory shook her head. "It's not like he's walking away from Truncheon, he's just throwing his resources into their latest endeavour. There's nothing wrong with that, and besides, someone has to take charge of that place."

" _I_ know that," Cynthia nodded. "And _you_ know that. It's just a matter of making _Matt_ see that."

"We'll work on him," Rory promised. "So, did I miss anything important?"

"Not really. It's been relatively boring around here since you left. I want to hear about your trip, though. Tell me _everything._ "

"Everything?" Rory smirked.

"Okay, let's keep the rating to PG," Cynthia frowned at her friend. "I'd rather not end up in therapy after this."

"Got it," Rory laughed and started to relay their adventures, starting with the plane to California and not stopping until she got to their current position on Matt and Chris's couch.

"Are you girls done making out in there, or whatever it is you're doing?!" Matt suddenly called through the door.

"What exactly makes you think we're making out?" Rory asked, getting up and making her way to the door. "What possible explanation could there be for that being your first assumption?"

"I watched too much porn as a teenager," he shrugged when she opened the door. "Or I have much higher hopes for my life than I should."

"You sicken me," Rory rolled her eyes. "We were catching each other up on the last month."

"Oh, so she told you we're moving in together?" Matt asked eagerly.

"She did," Rory nodded. "Where's Chris going to live, though?"

"The homeless shelter," Chris joined them. "Unless you want to take me in?"

"I'm not feeling that charitable," Rory frowned. "I'll let you come over and do laundry, though."

"Wow, that's so thoughtful of you, seeing as you live in the building that I partially own!"

"What can I say, I'm a regular Mother Theresa," she shrugged. "Seriously, though, where are you going?"

"I've got a lead on an apartment a couple blocks away. I'm actually looking forward to living on my own," he admitted. "I've been stuck with this one for long enough."

"Hey!" Matt cried.

"It's been a long time," Chris shrugged. "We could do with some time apart."

Matt stuck his bottom lip out and started to whimper, making everyone laugh.

"Nobody loves me!" he moaned. "I'm all alone."

"Cynthia likes you," Chris tried to comfort his roommate. "Don't you, Cynth?"

"Eh... I'm kind of on the fence about him," she frowned. "Can I get back to you?"

"Alright, but you better do it quick. I have to put the deposit down next week."

"You guys are mean!" Matt stomped over to Rory and put his head on her shoulder. "You love me, don't you, Rory?"

"You're okay," she patted his head.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"Hey, Kid! You make it back to Philly okay?" Lorelai asked her daughter when she called Friday night.

"No, we actually died in a fiery car crash, I've just decided to haunt you over the phone since we've never really been overly conventional."

"Oh, okay. Well, as long as I get all your clothes, that's fine with me."

"Actually I bequeathed them to Cynthia," Rory admitted.

"Traitor!"

"Hey, what are you doing home?" Rory asked. "I thought you would have been in Hartford."

"They're at some party or something."

"Ah, so you get a night to yourself."

"Yep, just me and Luke and a bottle of crappy wine," Lorelai confirmed. "What shall we get up to?"

"Okay, keep your dirtiness to yourself," Rory scolded.

"So, are you just calling to let me know that you're still alive?"

"Pretty much," Rory shrugged. "Have I missed anything interesting in the last two weeks?"

"Kirk started a petition to get you to give up the apartment above the diner."

"I'm going to kill that man," Rory huffed.

"You'll have to take a number. He also tried to move onto Taylor's lawn, so he has first dibs."

"Why doesn't the guy just buy a house?" Rory asked. "I mean, doesn't he have something like a million dollars saved up. The man has had every possible job, and lives with his mother."

"Don't try to get into his head," Lorelai advised. "It's even scarier than ours."

"That's for sure. Anything else new?"

"Not really. April is coming to stay with us, which you already knew, she's coming next week. You don't mind if she stays in your room, right?"

"Not at all, we are sisters now, if we can't share a room, what can we share?"

"True. That's basically all I have to offer you."

"Well that's just downright boring," Rory frowned. "When did Stars Hollow get so boring?"

"Sometime around May, Taylor passed that new law about dancing and laughter and everyone has just fallen into a funk."

"Understandably, somebody should really make him watch Footloose, show him what the future holds."

"From your mouth to God's ears," her mother agreed.

"More like Kirk's ears."

"Very true. Alright, well, if you have nothing else to offer, I'm going to go back to my bottle of wine."

"Good to know where your priorities are," Rory laughed. "Tell Luke I said hi."

"Will do. See you soon, Kid."

"See you soon."

Rory had just barely hung up the phone when it started to ring again, Paris's name flashing across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Rory, it's Paris."

"I know, Paris. I have caller ID. What's up?"

"I need to know if you're moving back in," Paris cut to the chase in her usual terse manner.

"Of course I'm moving back," Rory rolled her eyes. "Where else am I going to go?"

"Hey, how am I supposed to know?" Paris asked. "Last year, you decided to run off and live in a pool house. How am I supposed to know that you're not running off with your new boyfriend?"

"His name is Jess, which you are perfectly well aware of," Rory frowned at the phone. "And I'm not running off with him. I'm coming back to school, and I'm moving back into the apartment."

"Alright, there's no need to be snippy. I'll need first and last rent by next week."

"Sure, Paris."

"Great, see you in a few weeks." She hung up without another word, leaving Rory to stare at her phone in disbelief. "That woman is insane."

"Who?" Jess asked, sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Paris, who else?"

"Right," he nodded. "What did Medusa want this time?"

"To find out if I was coming back to school and the apartment."

"As opposed to...?"

"Who knows," Rory shrugged. "I've given up trying to figure out how that woman's brain works. It's a dark place that I don't need to get lost in."

"Good decision," Jess nodded.

The week before Rory had to go back to Yale, she and Jess made the trip down to Stars Hollow with all of Rory's stuff, figuring it would just be easier to move her back into Paris's from there.

"I don't really know why you thought I needed a purple, fuzzy alarm clock to take back to school with me," Rory mused one afternoon when she and Lorelai returned from a shopping trip. "I mean, I already have an alarm clock."

"But this one is so much cuter, and it's fuzzy!"

"Aren't you the one that made the 'no buying things just because they're fuzzy' rule?"

"We didn't buy it just because it was fuzzy," her mother reasoned. "It's cute too!"

"Oh, well in that case," Rory rolled her eyes. "Hey, Luke!"

"Hey, how did your shopping go?"

"Fantastic!" Lorelai beamed at her husband, who didn't look convinced.

"It went okay," Rory clarified. "I got a new alarm clock."

"I heard," Luke nodded. "Purple and fuzzy, sounds like a great mixture."

"Time shall tell," Rory snickered at her own joke, while Luke and her mother groaned. "Tough crowd. Okay, so what's going on with you?"

"Anna is coming by soon to give me all the stuff I'm going to need for April, and that's about it," he shrugged.

"Where's Jess?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Last I saw him, he was going to find a quiet place to read a book."

"So he's sitting at the lake," Rory concluded.

"How do you know?" Lorelai asked.

"It's the only place in town that nobody ever actually goes, despite the years and piles of money that we have spent rebuilding and taking care of that stupid bridge."

"Good point," Lorelai nodded and turned to her husband. "Okay, I need food. Shopping builds up a very heavy appetite. Chili Fries, please."

"And Cheeseburgers," Rory added.

"And coffee."

Before they could come up with anything else to add to their order, the front door swung open to reveal Anna, with a pile of binders and folders.

"Anna!" Luke greeted her, rounding the counter. "I thought you were coming later."

"I was, but then I finished work early. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Luke nodded. "Come, sit. Do you want something to eat?"

"I'm okay," Anna shook her head. "I could do with a cup of coffee, though. Hi, Lorelai."

"Hey, Anna," Lorelai smiled at the other woman. "Good to see you."

"You too. Thanks," she turned to Luke as he placed a mug in front of her.

"Hey, what about us?!" Rory demanded.

"Get your own," her stepfather grumbled.

"How rude!" Rory got up and retrieved cups for herself and her mother, then turned to the woman who had sat down beside them. "Hi, I'm Rory."

"Oh, right!" Luke seemed to suddenly realize that Rory and Anna had never met. "Anna, this is Rory. Lorelai's daughter."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Anna reached out and shook her hand. "April told me all about you when she got back from her school trip."

"Oh, that's so nice." Rory blushed, making her mother snicker.

"So, Anna, what do you have there?" Lorelai asked, pointing the the binders she had been carrying.

"This is all the stuff for April that you guys will need," she grabbed the first binder and opened it. "Do you have time to sit down, Luke?"

"Yep, just give me one minute."

As he finished up what he was doing in the kitchen, Anna started explaining all the phone numbers to Lorelai.

"I think I erred on the side of too many details," she frowned when Luke joined them.

"I like details," Luke assured her.

"Good. So, this is April's schedule, it's got all her swim team practices and the times she needs to be at school and everything. And these are all her school forms, they need you to sign them all so they can get a hold of you, and Lorelai if you want."

Lorelai was a little taken aback by the offer, but she nodded appreciatively.

"I'm sure you know all about these things," Anna shrugged.

"It's been a while, but I'm sure I'll be able to steer Luke in the right direction," Lorelai promised.

"Okay, well, everything you'll need to know is in here," Anna passed the binder to Luke. "My mom's surgery is on Monday, but apparently the recovery time is really long, so I'll be gone for at least two weeks."

"Take as much time as you need," Luke waved her off. "April can stay with us as long as you need. Right?"

"Right," Lorelai nodded emphatically. "We promise to keep her in one piece, all her fingers and toes, no extra piercings."

"Glad to hear it," Anna laughed. "You guys really are life savers."

"What are parents and step-parents for," Luke shrugged.

"Oh, and April will tell you that she needs to be at school by 7:30 on the first day, but she really doesn't need to be there until 8."

"Aw, aren't you going to be the proud step-sister," Lorelai turned to her own daughter. "This one tried to tell me that we were supposed to be there at 6 in the morning on her first day of Kindergarten. We actually beat the teachers."

"April has tried that many a time," Anna laughed appreciatively. "It only worked once."

"Same here," Rory sulked. "It's so great being in college and not having a parent to keep you from going to class early."

"Yes, but I'm also not there to keep you from getting beat up," Lorelai pointed out.

"I do not get beat up," Rory shook her head.

"Sure you don't, Sweetie," Lorelai patted her arm comfortingly.

"Is this what I have to look forward to when April goes to college?" Anna asked Luke.

"No, they're a special brand of crazy," Luke shook his head. "April is far saner."

"I wouldn't go that far," Anna laughed. "We're talking about the girl who wore a back brace for a month because of a book."

"Oh, I loved Deenie!" Rory beamed.

"Yours too?" Anna turned to Lorelai.

"She didn't wear the back brace, but she had her moments."

"I'm standing right here," Rory frowned.

"And you're doing a very good job of it," Lorelai assured her. "So you're dropping April off tomorrow afternoon?"

"At 2," Anna nodded. "I have to be at the airport for 3."

"Okay, sounds good," Luke nodded. "Just bring her here."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the coffee."

"Anytime." Luke nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Thanks again," Anna repeated, stopping at the door. "Both of you. I really appreciate it."

"It's no trouble," Luke reassured her.

"Seriously," Lorelai agreed. "April is quite possibly the most low maintenance kid I've ever met."

Anna smiled appreciatively at the other woman once more, then turned and headed for her car.

"So that's Anna," Rory spoke up again.

"That's Anna," Luke nodded.

"She seems nice."

"She is," Lorelai smiled. "And you're sure it's okay if April stays in your room?"

"Absolutely," Rory nodded. "It's not like I ever stay there anymore. Anytime we're here Jess and I stay upstairs."

"Okay. I just wanted to be sure," her mother shrugged. "You've never had to share before."

"You make it sound like I'm the biggest brat in the world," Rory laughed. "I've never had a problem with sharing, _you're_ the one who has a problem with sharing."

"I do not!" Lorelai gasped.

"You do too!"

"Luke!" Lorelai turned to her husband for support.

"No comment," he mumbled before ducking into the kitchen.

"Ha!" Rory grinned victoriously.

"What? No! No, 'ha!' That proves nothing!" Lorelai stuttered.

"You're nuts, he completely agreed with me."

"He did not! He didn't say anything."

"Agreement by omission," Rory shrugged. "Just admit it, you don't like sharing."

"I share all the time!" she argued.

"Bodily fluids don't count."

"Okay, who's jumping over the dirty line now?" Lorelai cringed.

"I'm just saying," her daughter shrugged.

"Can you both do me a favour and curb your dirtiness when my impressionable teenage daughter gets here tomorrow?" Luke frowned at them.

"We can sensor," Rory assured him.

"Really? Because I haven't seen any evidence to back that up- ever."

"I was very composed when Rory was little," Lorelai scoffed. "I kept all my dirty jokes to myself."

"That's not completely true," Rory shook her head.

"Okay, I kept the seriously dirty jokes to myself," her mother amended. "I'm perfectly capable of being appropriate around children, which is the point I was trying to make. Let us not forget, that _my_ daughter is the Editor of her Ivy League school newspaper. I did pretty well."

"I'm not denying that," Luke promised. "I'm just asking you to revert to your child-rearing days."

"Alright," Lorelai held her hands up in surrender. "I promise not to ruin your kid, happy?"

"I'm dancing on the inside," he deadpanned.

"You know, Luke, us girls like a man who dances on the outside," Rory told him. "You know, dance us around the room, rock out to the Spice Girls. That's the way into a daughter's heart."

"I'll work on that," he lied.

"What are you working on?" Jess asked, sitting down at the counter beside his girlfriend. "Your sparkling personality? Your sense of fashion- or lack thereof?"

"Dancing on the outside," Rory explained.

"I don't want to know," Jess shook his head. "So, how was your shopping spree?"

"Good."

"Show him the clock," Luke joked. "I bet he'll be really impressed."

"It's purple and fuzzy," Rory beamed and reached for the bag.

"I hope you don't think you're putting that in our apartment."

"Which one?" Rory asked. "I really think it would look good upstairs."

"You're not leaving that thing here," Luke shook his head.

"Come on, Luke!" Rory pleaded. "It's not like you spend that much time up there! You wouldn't even notice it was there."

"I would notice," he assured her. "You can take that thing back to New Haven with you."

"You're a killjoy," she shook her head. "How do you expect to win your daughter's undying affection if you refuse to allow purple fuzzy stuff in your house."

"There's plenty of purple fuzzy crap in my house," Luke assured her. "I live with your mother. And I haven't had any issues winning _your_ undying affection."

"Yes, but I like everyone."

"So does April," Lorelai frowned. "And I find it just as annoying as I did when you were a kid."

"That's a nice thing to say about your step-daughter," Rory rolled her eyes. "Really, you will definitely be getting Step-Parent of the Year for that."

"I thought I was getting Step-Parent of the Year," Luke frowned.

"No, I'm getting Step-Daughter of the Year," Rory shook her head. "You're supposed to be providing the trophy."

"Right," Luke nodded. "I'll get right on that."

"So," Rory turned to Jess. "What did you do today?"

"I read a book."

"Which one?"

"The one with the words."

"Oh, I love that one," Rory rolled her eyes. "What is it with the sarcasm today?"

"It runs in the family," Jess shrugged.

"Both of them," Lorelai agreed.

Luke nodded his agreement and passed over Rory and Lorelai's food.

"You want something?" He asked Jess.

"I wouldn't mind a pair of earplugs."

"How about a couch to sleep on?" Rory frowned.

"I'll take a donut," Jess amended his answer.

"Good boy," Rory patted his cheek.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"What is wrong with this school?!" Luke demanded the next day as he read through the packet Anna had left him.

April was due to arrive any minute, and Luke was getting nervous. He loved April, really, but he had never had her overnight before- let alone for weeks- and he was terrified he was going to suck at it despite Lorelai and Rory's constant encouragements.

"What's wrong now?" Rory asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

"Razor blades," Luke cried. "They've expressly forbidden razor blades."

"Seems like a sound policy," Kirk offered.

"Are kids showing up to this school with razor blades?" Luke panicked. "I mean, listen to the list of stuff they've had to ban. Drug use, bullying, graffiti, theft, spitting, fighting- including, but not limited to punching, kicking, gouging and biting. It seems like they're just giving these kids ideas!"

"No one at that school is gouging anyone," Patty tried to reassure him as Rory nodded emphatically.

"Well, sure. Why bother with that when they have access to guns, tasers, knives and nunchuks!"

"Nobody is bringing Nunchucks to April's school," Rory shook her head.

"Of course not," Miss Patty agreed.

"Yeah, they're way too bulky to fit in your sock," Caesar stuck his head through the kitchen pass to join the conversation. "Now, mace, on the other hand..."

"Mace!" Luke cried. "Kids are walking around with mace!?"

"Honey, calm down," Miss Patty got up and moved over to the counter, glaring at Cesar. "Nobody in that school is carrying around mace, or nunchucks, or anything else like that. They just have to spell all that out for their own legal protection. Whenever you're taking care of kids, that's a lot of liability. It's the same with my dance school."

"And nothing bad ever happens?"

" _Nothing_ ever happens," Patty assured him. "Well, except for that one time."

"What one time?" Luke demanded, his anxiety levels rising again.

"Well I took my senior ballerinas to try out for a performance of The Nutcracker," she explained. "And one of the girls pulled a Tonya Harding and knocked the front runner for Clara out of the competition. Broke her leg in three places."

"That is not nothing!" Luke cried. "That is the complete opposite of nothing!"

"It's completely different," Patty shook her head. "That's a far rougher crowd."

"They're ballerinas," Luke frowned.

"Oh sure, everyone thinks ballerinas are so sweet and fragile," Patty rolled her eyes. "Trust me, they're dancing on ingrown toenails and stress fractures and they haven't eaten in weeks. It's a rough crowd."

Luke and Rory exchanged an amused look, but before Patty could call them out on it, the bell above the door signalled the entrance of April and Anna.

"Hey!" April greeted her father, loaded down by pillows and something in a cup.

"Sorry we're late," Anna followed her inside with a couple suitcases. "We were halfway here and April remembered the avocado pit was still in the kitchen and we had to go back for it."

"We had to make a pit stop," April joked lamely, making her father laugh.

"Hey, Honey!" Miss Patty greeted the girl.

"Hi!" April smiled.

"You remember Miss Patty," Luke asked.

"Sure!"

"And Kirk, and Caesar," Luke waved to the other diner patrons.

"Of course," April smiled and nodded to each of them in turn, then noticed her step-sister sitting at the counter. "Hi, Rory."

"Hey, April!" Rory came over and joined them. "Need some help with that?"

"Thanks," April nodded and passed over the avocado pit so she could hug her mother.

"Okay, I have to run," Anna frowned. "I don't want to miss my flight."

"Go, go," Luke waved her off. "We'll be fine."

"Bye, Mom." April hugged her. "Say hi to Grandma."

"I will," Anna promised. "I love you, I'll call you when I get there."

"She's going to be fine," Luke reassured her. "I promise."

"I know, I know," Anna nodded.

She kissed April one more time, then ran back to her car, leaving them alone.

"So..." April looked around. "Is there somewhere I can put the pit?"

"Well, you can put it upstairs if you want," Luke offered. "Or I'm sure Rory could give you a ride to the house and get you settled in there."

"Sure," Rory nodded. "I'll show you all the good hiding spots for your contraband."

April laughed and Luke looked slightly terrified.

"Oh, calm down," Rory shook her head. "I was just kidding."

She turned to April and shook her head, causing the younger girl to bite her lip to stop smiling.

"So, back to the house?"

"Sounds good," April nodded.

"Here, I'll help you with the bags," Luke offered. "Caesar! Hold down the fort for a minute!"

"You got it!"

They loaded April's bags into the trunk of Rory's car, then headed back to the Crap Shack.

"So, have you been here before?" Rory asked as they pulled into the driveway.

"Once," April nodded. "I came over for dinner and met Lorelai."

"Okay, welcome back then. Come on, I'll show you where the spare key is."

Rory led her up to the porch and pointed out the turtle that hid their key.

"Basically everyone in town knows where it is," she shrugged. "And Mom rarely actually locks the door, but just in case you need it. I think they made you a copy of the key, but I have no idea where it is."

"I'm sure Dad will give it to me later," April nodded. "So, are we going in?"

"Right," Rory nodded. "You probably want to sleep inside, not on the porch."

"I would prefer inside," April nodded.

"My kind of girl. Come on." Rory opened the door and helped drag April's bags through the entry way and into her bedroom. "Geez, did you pack an entire bedroom set?"

"No, just my books," April shook her head, then looked around the room. "Which I obviously didn't need..."

"Yeah, books are definitely something we have plenty of," Rory laughed. "Help yourself. These are all the ones I couldn't fit in the apartment Jess and I share in Philly."

"I thought you went to school here?" April asked.

"I do, but when I'm not in school, I spend most of my time out there."

"It must suck having to spend so much time apart," April frowned. "If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't want to be that far away from him all the time."

"It does suck," Rory assured her. "But it's only for a couple more months."

"Right, so... where can I put the pit?"

"Wherever you want," Rory shrugged. "Although I would suggest keeping it away from my mom, she has a magic ability to kill plants without even touching them."

"Okay, I think I'll just stick it on the window sill in here then," April nodded.

"Good plan," Rory nodded. "You want something to eat?"

"I'm good, I think I'm just going to get unpacked and settled."

"Okay, go for it. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."

"Rory!" Lorelai called when she got home a few hours later. "Rory are you here?!"

"Living room!" Rory called. "What are you doing home?"

"Sookie's gone gourd crazy, so I left Michel in charge and made a run for it," Lorelai dropped onto the couch beside her daughter. "Oh! Mallomars!"

"Help yourself," Rory rolled her eyes.

"Hey, they're from _my_ kitchen, Kid. You're lucky I let you eat them."

"See, this is what we were talking about yesterday," Rory sighed. "You really aren't a good sharer."

"Hey, do you mind if I take down a couple of the Yale posters in there?" April asked, wandering into the living room. "It's a little- oh, hi Lorelai."

"Hey, April. How's it going? Rory get you settled in?"

"It's good, yeah. I've just been getting unpacked. Posters?" She asked Rory again.

"Go for it," Rory smiled. "See, I'm a good sharer."

"I don't think that's a word," April frowned.

"Just go with it."

"Okay," she shrugged and skipped back to the bedroom.

"Hey, do you have any preferences for dinner?" Lorelai called after her.

"Not really," April called back. "I'm easy."

"Fantastic," Lorelai clapped.

"You cannot feed her Al's on her first night," Rory said immediately. "That's just cruel."

"Fine," her mother sulked. "You're such a killjoy."

"Somebody in this family has to be," she shrugged. "I'm gonna head back to the diner and see if Jess is back from his meeting."

"Alright, tell Luke to bring dinner back with him, since you won't let me introduce April to International Grab-Bag Night."

"International what?" April asked, wandering back into the room.

"Trust me, you'll thank me later," Rory assured her. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Hon!" Lorelai waved.

"Bye," April echoed.

Rory got back to the diner just as Jess was pulling up.

"Hey," he ran up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey," she smiled and leaned back to kiss him. "How did your meeting go?"

"Good," he shrugged. "Nothing too interesting. They want me to do a reading in a couple weeks."

"That's exciting. Are you going to?"

"I don't really want to, but yeah."

"It'll be good," Rory promised him. "Everyone will love you. I'll even come watch if you want."

"You don't have to do that," Jess shook his head.

"I want to. I like listening to you read."

He shrugged in agreement and followed her inside.

"What are you doing here?" Luke demanded when they walked in. "I thought you were watching April."

"Two things," Rory frowned. "First, April is thirteen, she doesn't need a babysitter. And second, Mom is there."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Luke frowned.

"Hey, I turned out fine," Rory pointed out.

"I don't even know how to argue that point," Jess muttered, earning himself an elbow to the ribs.

"Mom wants you to take dinner home with you," Rory turned back to Luke. "I talked her out of ordering in from Al's."

"Thanks," Luke sighed. "Are you guys coming over for dinner?"

"Nah," Jess looked at Rory and shrugged. "I think we're going to have dinner just us, tonight."

"Yeah, one last night of peace and quiet before school," Rory agreed.

"You don't go back for two more days," Luke pointed out.

"Yes, but tomorrow we'll hang out with you guys, and the next day I'll be moving back in with Paris," Rory explained. "This is my last night of sanity."

"Got it," Luke nodded.

"See you tomorrow," Jess waved and pulled Rory towards the stairs.

"Bye!" Rory called as she was pulled around the corner.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

The weekend went by far quicker than Rory had hoped, and before she knew it Monday had come and she was moving her things back into Paris's.

"Why am I signing this, again?" Rory asked as Paris handed her a pile of renter's forms.

"Because while we are friends, this is still a business agreement and it's needs to be legal and official," Paris explained exasperatedly. "Initial there."

Rory rolled her eyes and did as she was told.

"Alright, welcome back!" Paris passed the forms to Doyle so he could file them and hugged Rory.

"Thanks," Rory laughed and hugged her friend back. "I'm just going to go say bye to Jess. I'll be back in a minute."

Jess was waiting in the hallway, hoping to have one last quiet moment with Rory before he had to go.

"Do you really have to leave now?" Rory pouted, throwing her arms around his neck. "Can't you leave tomorrow?"

"I have to get back to Truncheon," Jess shook his head. "Sorry."

"This sucks," Rory huffed. "I hate it when you leave."

"I hate it when I leave too," Jess assured her. "But we'll talk every day, and I'll come back as soon as I can."

"I know." She let out another sigh, then smiled and looked back up at him. "Okay, I don't want to be sad. Kiss me."

"As you wish," Jess smiled and captured her lips with his own, trying to memorize everything about her before he had to leave.

"Still sad?" He asked when they finally broke apart.

"Not as much as I was," She smirked. "Call me when you get home."

"I will," Jess promised. "And I'll see you in a couple weeks."

"See you in a couple weeks." Rory nodded and hugged him tightly, then with one last kiss, she pushed him towards the stairs. "Okay, get lost. I have things to do."

"Bye," Jess laughed. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dodger."

She waited until he was out of sight before going back inside, trying her best not to be too upset. She was a big girl, there was no need for her to cry every time her boyfriend left. That didn't stop her from being moody all night, waiting for him to call her. When her phone finally rang, Rory practically launched herself across the room to answer it.

"Hey!" She beamed.

"Well, hello, Rory!" Her grandfather answered. "You sound very chipper."

"Oh, hi Grandpa," Rory felt her mood deflate slightly, but tried her best to push through it.

"You're back at Yale?" Richard asked.

"Yep," Rory nodded. "Back at Yale. Just finished moving my stuff back into the apartment."

"Tell her the good news, Richard!" Emily called in the background.

Since Emily's outburst at dinner the month before, she and Rory had been rather cold towards each other, but neither one of them were willing to bring up the subject again. Rory had decided to just let things blow over, since she had made her opinion very clear. The ball was in Emily's court, and that was how it was going to remain.

Rory thought about this as she listened to her grandparents squabbling about how exciting something was.

"What's exciting?" Rory finally interrupted them.

"Well, when I was at my Yale class reunion, I had a chance to meet with one of my former classmates," her grandfather finally started to explain. "Harold Laken, you know him as the Dean of Undergraduate Education, and he also happens to be a fellow Whiffenpoof."

"The news, Richard!" Emily called again.

"Yes, right. Well, it seems that there has been a sudden vacancy in the economics department, and they need someone to teach a course this semester, and Harold immediately thought of me."

"Can you believe it?" Emily called to Rory. "Your grandfather, a professor!"

"I'm just a visiting lecturer," Richard corrected. "What I want to know, is whether you would be okay with this. I'm going to be on the campus at the same time as you are, and there's a chance we might run into each other."

"Grandpa, this sounds fantastic!" Rory assured him. "I promise, you will not cramp my style."

"Well that's wonderful," her grandfather said happily. "Because I have to admit, I'm rather excited."

"That's great, Grandpa. Congratulations," Rory smiled. "Why don't we meet up after your first class and grab dinner to celebrate?"

"Oh, I would love that, but I already scheduled dinner with Harold," Richard said regrettably.

"But, Richard," Rory heard her grandmother interject. "We have dinner with the Sudburys on Thursday."

"Well, I'm sorry, Emily, but I have dinner with the Dean," Richard shrugged. "And you can't expect me to include the Sudburys in that, they're insufferable bores."

"No, of course not," Emily sighed. "I'll just have dinner with them alone. Oh, the life of a faculty widow!"

"Did you hear that?" Richard demanded of his granddaughter. "She's already turned on me!"

"I heard it, Grandpa," Rory assured him. "I'm sure she'll come around, though."

"I certainly hope so. Well, I'll let you get back to settling in and I'll see you on campus."

"See you on campus," Rory agreed.

Over the course of the week, Rory re-acclimated to her duties at the Daily News and got herself settled into a schedule, even covering an art show and making a couple new friends.

Lucy and Olivia were her mother's kind of crazy. Lucy was an aspiring actress who wasn't opposed to breaking into song or dance at any given moment and Olivia, while slightly more reserved, was just as ready to start a one-woman party at any given moment. She made art out of things she found in the trash, which might have sounded gross, but Rory found that there was a different kind of beauty in her work that she had never seen before and was immediately drawn to the girls.

The absolute highlight of her week came late Thursday night when her mother called.

"Are you sitting down?" Lorelai demanded as soon as Rory answered the phone.

"No."

"Sit down," her mother ordered. "Because I have the absolute best story I have ever had to tell you."

"Alright then," Rory nodded and dropped onto the couch. "Okay, sitting down. Should I get popcorn too?"

"This story definitely warrants it, but I'm too excited to wait until you make it, so you'll have to suffer without."

"Okay, then shoot."

"Your grandmother got arrested," Lorelai announced gleefully.

"Shut up!"

"Arrested!" her mother repeated. "I don't think I've ever been this happy about anything in my entire life! I mean, your birth comes close, but I think this might be better."

"I am completely willing to step aside for this," Rory assured her. "Now give me all the details."

"Okay, so Luke and April and I were in Hartford, seeing a movie, and we had just gotten out when my phone starts to ring. So I answer it, and this guy asks to speak to Lorelai Gilmore, and Luke is looking at me weird, asking whose calling and then the guy tells me that he's calling from the Hartford Police Station, and I need to come and pick up one Emily Gilmore."

"It's like Christmas!" Rory cooed.

"I know!"

"You are taking way too much joy in this!" Luke called from the background.

"Be quiet," Lorelai yelled back. "And to make it even better, April's first time meeting my mother we were picking her up from jail!"

"Everyone in that Police station thinks your mother is crazy," Luke called to Rory.

"Were you smiling too much?" Rory asked her mother.

"Maybe a little."

"It was like she was at Disney World," Luke said.

"Did I miss the part where I put this conversation on speaker phone?" Lorelai demanded. "Let me tell my story."

Rory heard Luke mumbling and then a door closing.

"Okay, so now that Grumpy McGee is gone," Lorelai huffed. "This is a moment to go down in the Gilmore history books. This is the kind of thing that you should write about in that fancy paper of yours. Oh! Maybe we can call Jess and get him to write a book about it."

"That might be taking it a little too far," Rory frowned. "But it does sound pretty amazing. Please tell me you got pictures."

"Of course! What kind of mother would I be if I kept all this happiness to myself?"

"Excellent," Rory snickered. "So you're going to make sure to share them all at dinner tomorrow, right?"

"I might even make a slide show," Lorelai giggled. "God, this is the best night ever!"

"I'm very happy for you," Rory laughed.

"Thanks. Okay, I'm going to go and be giddy downstairs now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow. I'm glad you're happy."

"So happy!" Lorelai squealed and hung up.

Trying to keep her amusement to a socially acceptable minimum, Rory hung up and called Jess to tell him the fantastic story.

"Emily Gilmore in jail," Jess laughed appreciatively. "Please tell me there are pictures."

"Have you met my mother?" Rory asked. "According to Luke, we should be surprised the cops didn't section her for taking so many pictures and being so happy about bailing her mother out."

"I knew there was a reason I liked her."

"She definitely has her priorities straight," Rory laughed. "So, what happened with you today?"

As she got ready for bed, Jess related his day's adventures, including Chris and Matt's argument about who got to keep the couch when Chris moved out, and Benji's latest manuscript.

"At least it's not about fast food this time," Rory offered. "That's an improvement."

"I'm glad you can see the bright side."

By some sort of miracle, Jess was able to make it down for a visit the next weekend, prompting a spur of the moment trip to Stars Hollow after Friday Night Dinner. The downside of the trip was that the town had seemed to have been struck by some sort of plague and smelled disgusting.

"What is that?!" Rory demanded as she got out of her car in front of the diner, her mother following close behind. "It smells like the entire town died!"

"Pickles," Lorelai answered nasally, holding her nose. "Hurry, get inside."

She pushed her daughter into the diner, quickly slamming the door behind them as all the patrons complained.

"God, what is that?" Rory asked again, sitting down at the counter and searching for something to get rid of the smell.

"Pickles," her mother repeated.

"That is not pickles!" Rory shook her head. "Pickles do not smell like that."

"They do after they've been baking in the sun for four days," April appeared beside them.

"Okay, somebody's got to fill me in here."

"There was a train carrying a shipment of pickles that derailed," Lorelai explained. "And all the pickles have spilled out onto the tracks, and nobody wanted to clean it up because it's right between us and Woodbridge and Taylor is too busy having a pissing contest to worry about cleaning it up, so now they've been baking in the sun for days and the wind changed directions and here we are, close to being suffocated."

"Did somebody tell Taylor to clean the things up?"

"There was a unanimous vote yesterday," Lorelai confirmed. "But apparently the smell won't be going away anytime soon."

"So we just have to suffer?" Rory demanded.

"Pretty much."

"Ugh, maybe I'll just go back to school for the weekend."

"I'm not sleeping in the same apartment as Paris," Jess suddenly appeared.

"We've been over this," Rory huffed. "She's not going to kill you in your sleep. She likes you, remember?"

"I don't care," he shook his head. "I'd far rather put up with this smell, than the fear of imminent death for the next two days. Besides, it smells fine upstairs, I've been baking cookies since I got here to keep the smell out."

"I'm sorry, you've been what?" Rory and Lorelai giggled.

"Mock all you want, but it smells great up there, and there's enough cookies to keep even the two of you happy."

"Which begs the question, why are we sitting down here?" Lorelai pointed out.

"This is where the rest of the food is," Rory offered.

"Yeah, but that can be fixed. Come on, we'll get Luke to bring us some cheeseburgers and fries," Lorelai got up and led them upstairs, calling for April to follow.

"You weren't kidding," Rory laughed when she saw the piles of cookies all over the apartment.

"I helped!" April piped up, taking a cookie from one of the plates.

"Fantastic," Rory smiled at the girl and took a cookie for herself. "These are really good!"

"They're from a tube," April frowned. "Don't tell my Dad."

"Our lips are sealed," Lorelai laughed. "So, what's new and exciting with everyone?"

"I got an A on my science test," April offered.

"Good job!" Rory beamed at her. "I kept Paris and Bill from killing each other all week."

"You should really have one of those signs in the newsroom that they have in factories," Lorelai mused. "You know, like the ones that say 'Accident Free For' and then however many days. But yours could say 'Paris Hasn't Made Someone Cry In...'"

"It would always have a zero," Rory shook her head. "We'd be better with something like 'We Have Been Casualty Free For...'"

"That seems a little over-dramatic," Jess frowned.

"This from the man that refuses to stay in my apartment because he's afraid my roommate is going to kill him in his sleep," Rory scoffed. "You're not exactly the poster child for rationality."

"I've got a firmer grasp on reality than you do," he argued.

"That doesn't seem very hard," April frowned, making Lorelai and Rory gape at her while Jess beamed.

"Oh, we're going to have to keep you around a lot more," he laughed, punching her in the arm lightly.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

The following weeks were relatively calm. Jess and Rory were both too busy to see each other, but they were sticking to their phone dates and getting through it.

Rory and Emily's relationship had improved following her arrest, with Emily keeping her opinions to herself and Rory biting back the urge to scream at her grandmother every time she saw her by remembering the pictures of the older woman in handcuffs.

April and Lorelai had gotten pretty close as well, which Luke was very happy about. He had been so worried that April would like Lorelai more than him and they wouldn't get a relationship, but he couldn't have been more wrong. He was so thankful to have Lorelai there to help him and to give his daughter someone to talk to about things she didn't want to talk to him about.

April and Rory had gotten close too, between talking on the phone and visiting whenever Rory was able to get back to town. She had started to show a real interest in Yale, and Rory ended up suggesting that Luke and Lorelai bring her to parent's weekend.

"Can I just point out that this is nothing like what Yale is actually like," Lorelai announced when they arrived Saturday morning.

"What are you talking about?" Luke frowned at her.

"The grass is greener and everything looks nicer and all the kids are polite," she waved around disgustedly. "It's never like this."

"Whatever you say," Luke nodded and steered them towards an information booth.

"Grass is not this green!" Lorelai continued to rant. "Not outside of Pleasantville, at least."

Luke rolled his eyes and April laughed.

"I think they brought in sod."

"You think they paid thousands of dollars to bring in sod for two days?" Luke asked skeptically.

"Or spray paint."

"Spray paint?" April frowned.

"Yeah, maybe they spray painted the grass. Probably around the same time they spray painted these trees, because this is just beyond regular autumn looking trees. It's over the top."

Luke rolled his eyes again and turned his attention to the girl sitting at the booth.

"Hello!" She beamed at him.

"Let me ask you something," Lorelai spoke up before Luke could stop her. "Do you really go here, or are you an actress hired by Yale?"

"What?" The girl asked, her smile never faltering. "I go here. I go here."

"You're good," Lorelai nodded conspiratorially. "I almost believe you."

"Okay," Luke cut in. "Can we just get one of those information packets?"

"Absolutely!" The girl handed over a large package and three name tags. "Have a great weekend. Go Bulldogs!"

"Right," Luke nodded and led his wife and daughter away from the booth before Lorelai could start interrogating the girl again.

"Oh, name tags!" Lorelai started digging through her purse for a pen. "Let's be Laverne and Shirley."

"No," Luke shook his head.

"Antony and Cleopatra?" Lorelai offered. "F. Scott and Zelda? Zinf and Del?"

"Who?" April frowned.

"Some sort of wine grape," Luke explained. "And no."

"Stick in the mud," Lorelai accused. "Come on April, be my other half. What do you say? Be the Spock to my Kirk? Or the Waldorf to my Statler! Oh! Bonnie and Clyde!"

"Don't encourage her," Luke muttered to his daughter.

"She's right, Dad, you're a stick in the mud," April laughed.

"Fine, why don't you be Susanna, and she can be Lisa."

"Hey!" Lorelai pushed her husband. "Are you calling me a sociopath?"

"No, but I'm not opposed to the idea of you being committed."

"Wow! That's just mean!"

"I just call it like I see it," Luke shrugged.

"Okay, that's it. Come on, April, let's go find someone who appreciates us!" Lorelai started to march away, linking her arm through April's, and pulling her away as the younger girl laughed.

"You're both nuts!" Luke called after them. "I'm going to go find the sane member of the family, with or without you!"

Lorelai and April just waved, forcing him to jog after them, knowing that he might not see them again for hours if they were left unattended.

"I've got it!" Lorelai cried as Luke caught up to them. "I'll be Thelma and you can be Louise."

"Deal," April nodded and took the marker Lorelai offered her.

"Freaks," Luke muttered.

"And yet you keep us around," Lorelai shrugged and plucked the schedule he had been skimming from his hands. "Okay, there is a disturbing amount of a-Capella jams listed in this schedule."

"What exactly _is_ an a-Capella jam?" Luke asked.

"I don't know, but it sounds like something that should be avoided at all costs," Lorelai frowned.

Before they could look into the schedule any more, her phone started to ring, flashing Rory's name across the screen.

"Hey, we're here."

"Hey," Rory yelled something to someone in the newsroom, then turned her attention back to her mother. "Sorry, so you're here?"

"With bells on," her mother confirmed. "Plus leg warmers, roller skates and Groucho Marx glasses."

"And nothing else?"

"Exactly."

"How classy."

"Hi, Rory!" April called over Lorelai's shoulder.

"Well, what are parents for if not to embarrass you?" Lorelai shrugged. "So you're at the paper?"

"Yep, where are you guys?"

"We are near a big brick building and a big tree," Lorelai conveyed, turning in an observational circle. "Are you near there?"

"Possibly," Rory laughed. "Seeing as that's what just about every building on campus looks like. I'm sure you'll be able to navigate yourself to the paper at some point, though."

"Well I am a first rate navigator," Lorelai agreed.

Upon hearing this, Luke reached out and pulled the phone from her hand.

"Hey!" She protested.

"Hi, Rory," Luke ignored her.

"Hey, Luke. How's it going?"

"Your mom has corrupted my daughter."

"Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later," Rory reasoned.

"How are things going at the paper?"

"Busy, but I should be done by lunch."

"Sounds good, what building is the paper in again? I don't really trust your mother's top notch navigational skills."

"I'm a great navigator!" Lorelai cried.

"It's the Briton Hadden building," Rory told him. "It's on all the maps, and you can ask basically anybody on campus and they'll be able to give you directions."

"I want to talk to her," April pulled at her dad's arm like she was five years old.

"Okay, okay," Luke shook her off. "Thanks. April wants to talk to you."

"Hi, Rory," April took the phone.

"Hey, April. How's it going?"

"This place is amazing!" April squealed. "Everybody looks so smart and collegiate and it's just so cool!"

"I'm glad you think so," Rory laughed.

"Okay, so I want to go to one of the faculty lectures," April got down to business, scanning the schedule that Lorelai had passed off to her.

"You should tour the Peabody too," Rory suggested. "You'd really like it."

"Okay. But about the lectures, what do you recommend? There's one by Professor Summers that sounds cool."

"Summers is good," Rory assured her. "He's a big wig in molecular biophysics."

"That sounds a little over my head," April wrinkled her nose. "What about The Extravagant Universe, with Professor Quincy?"

"Oh, ya, you should go to that one," Rory agreed. "You'll really like it. Luke and Mom will probably fall asleep, but that's nothing new."

"Okay, thanks!"

Lorelai reached out and took her phone back. "Hey, what's with all the a-Capella? All they've got on this schedule is a-Capella, a-Capella, morning, noon and night. Who wants that much a-Capella in their day?"

"I suggest avoiding arches," Rory advised. "A-Capella groups tend to hang out under arches a lot."

"Thanks for the tip."

"And if you hear a pitch pipe, run."

"Will do," Lorelai agreed. "Alright, we're going to go have brunch with the provost, or is it _on_ the provost? That hasn't been explained yet."

"It's with," April told her.

"Nevermind, I've got a new genius kid to tell me these things."

"Well then," Rory gasped. "I have to get back to work, so you can go bother your new daughter now."

"Okay, we'll see you later," Lorelai laughed and hung up.

"So, what's the plan?" Luke asked.

"Food. We're hitting the brunch, because I'm starving."

"Me too," April agreed. "And Rory said we should check out Professor Quincy's lecture."

"Alright," Lorelai shrugged. "Food and then boring school stuff. Let's go!"

"Look at this propaganda!" Lorelai cried when they walked into the dining hall. "Belgian waffles, cloth napkins. I've had breakfast here many a time, and it was paper napkins and American cereal all the way!"

"Are you gonna do this all day?" Luke asked.

"Yes- lox? Capers? Itty-bitty bagels? Pack of lies!"

"Coffee?" A man who looked like he was a few years older than Luke offered her a cup and saucer.

"Uh, coffee," Lorelai nodded and accepted the dish.

"Coffee," Luke nodded and grabbed one of his own, cringing at the idea of drinking out of a tea cup.

"I'm Lou," the balding man in front of them offered. "Ethan Morton's dad."

"Cheers," Lorelai nodded, not sure why he felt the need to share that information. "I'm Lorelai, this is Luke. I'm Rory Gilmore's mom."

"Rory Gilmore?" Lou looked stunned. "Sure, she's a senior, right?"

"Um, yeah. Did you memorize the student face book, or something?" Lorelai asked, slightly creeped out.

"She's the editor of the Daily News," Lou chuckled. "Ethan is an aspiring journalist and a big fan of your daughter's."

"Rory has fans?" Lorelai smiled. "That's so cool."

"Maybe we should set up a lunch date," Lou suggested. "That way Rory and Ethan could meet."

"Lou, honestly," a woman with short black hair suddenly joined them. "I apologize on behalf of my husband. He seems to have forgotten that Ethan already got into Yale and doesn't need his booster club anymore. I'm Daisy."

"I'm Lorelai," she reached out and shook the woman's hand. "This is my husband, Luke and step-daughter April."

"They're Rory Gilmore's parents," Lou explained.

Luke started to correct him, but Lorelai elbowed him in the ribs and shook her head. Luke was as much Rory's parent as she was, that had been made very obvious over the years.

"Oh, Rory Gilmore's parents," Daisy nodded appreciatively. "I was just talking to your mother."

"My mother?" Lorelai frowned.

"Emily Gilmore," Daisy looked at her like she was crazy. "She's right over there, by the mimosas."

"Unbelievable," Lorelai muttered under her breath. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse us."

Lorelai turned and led her family to the other side of the room, where her mother was holding court with a group of society mothers.

"And I said to him, 'They've tenured Bill Sunderland? Who's next, Carmen Electra?'"

"Ha ha," Lorelai joined the group. "Good one, Mom!"

"Lorelai!" Emily gasped when she saw her, then excused herself from the group and led her to a corner of the room, Luke and April trailing behind them.

"Lorelai, what are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Lorelai frowned. "I think the real question is, what are _you_ doing here?"

"It's Yale Parent's Weekend," Emily said obviously.

"Yes, but you're not a parent."

"I'm a grandparent, that's a type of parent."

"Not really," Lorelai shook her head.

"A grand piano is a type of piano, is it not?" Emily reasoned.

"Well you got me there, Riddler," Lorelai said sarcastically. "But that doesn't make your logic sound."

"Oh please, Lorelai, your father and I have been attending Rory's parents' weekend since her freshman year. It's one of our traditions."

"It's one of your traditions to pretend to be Rory's parents?" Lorelai crossed her arms.

"Lorelai," her father suddenly joined them. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm a parent!" Lorelai cried, becoming annoyed with the repeated question.

"And April wanted to come," Luke offered.

"Luke!" Emily gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"The whole time," he assured her. "Good to see you Emily, Richard."

"And you," Richard nodded amicably. "We didn't expect to see the two of you here."

"Why not?" Lorelai demanded. "We're actually parents."

"You don't like these kind of things," Emily explained, miraculously ignoring Lorelai's implication that Luke was Rory's father.

"What do you mean, 'these kinds of things'?" Lorelai frowned.

"Things with schedule and name tags. You mock these things relentlessly."

"Well I'm here, and I'm not mocking. I'm brunching."

"If you're not mocking, why does your name tag say Thelma?"

"Because April's says Louise," she pointed to her comedic counterpart.

April waved shyly, peeking out from where she had been trying to hide behind Lorelai.

"April, I didn't see you there." Emily gasped again.

"You're not in a very observant state of mind today, are you Mom?" Lorelai asked. "Dad, I don't think you've met April yet."

"No I have not," he shook his head and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, April. Call me Richard."

"Nice to meet you," April shook his hand firmly.

"So, do you have an interest in attending Yale, April?"

"No, no, no, no, no," Lorelai shook her head. "You're not jumping on that train! We're just here to show April what college is like, despite the blatant lies they're trying to push here. She's not picking a school here and now."

"I wasn't trying to suggest she was," Richard answered exasperatedly. "I was simply asking a question."

"There are no simple questions regarding Yale in this family," Lorelai shook her head.

"Fine, Lorelai," her father consented. "I will keep my Yale related questions to myself."

"Um, Lorelai?" April interrupted. "Professor Quincy's lecture is about to start, and I really wanted to go..."

"Right," Lorelai nodded. "Okay, well we have to go. Astrophysics waits for no man."

"Very true," Richard nodded. "Enjoy the lecture."

"Thanks," April smiled at him, then pulled Luke and Lorelai away.

As per Rory's prediction, Luke and Lorelai couldn't have cared less about the lecture. While April happily followed along and even took notes, Lorelai complained to Luke about her parent's unwarranted appearance, between texting Rory about how mad she was for not warning them.

While Lorelai texted and Luke dozed off, April was fully immersed in the lecture, and even asked a couple questions, waking Luke and causing him to beam with pride.

"My thirteen year old is taking part in a college lecture," he whispered to Lorelai, who smiled back at him.

"It's pretty great, isn't it?"

"I feel like we should be taking pictures."

"Not if you ever want her to go out in public with you again," Lorelai frowned. "But you should definitely commit this moment to memory."

When the lecture was over, they made their way across campus to the newsroom, where Rory was in the middle of running a meeting. Not wanting to get in the way, the three of them huddled in a corner and watched as Rory gave orders.

"I love how bossy she is," Lorelai whispered to Luke proudly.

"Well, she is their boss," Luke shrugged.

"She's like a dictator, only cute and nonviolent," Lorelai gushed. "And instead of a country, she's got a newspaper."

Rory finished what she was doing and dispersed the group, then noticed her family standing in the corner.

"Hello Parents," she nodded to them. "And sister."

"You are the cutest fascist ever," Lorelai pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks. So, how was your morning?"

"Brunch was lovely, except of course for my parents skulking around," Lorelai frowned. "Which no one warned me about. I'm still mad at you."

"Don't be mad at me."

"Okay, fine," Lorelai huffed. "But only because you're the cutest Despot ever."

"Thanks," Rory rolled her eyes and turned to April. "How did you like the lecture?"

"It was so cool!" she gushed. "I can't wait to go to college!"

"I can," Luke groaned. "I haven't even adjusted to high school yet, don't rush me!"

The girls laughed at the panicked look on his face while Lorelai patted his arm comfortingly.

"So, you ready to go for lunch?" Lorelai asked.

"Sure, you should meet the group before we go, though." Rory turned to find all her reporters watching them. "This is Sheila, Bill, A.K, Raj and Joni. Guys, this is Lorelai and Luke. And my step-sister, April. And you know Paris, of course."

"Lorelai," Paris hurried over and kissed her on each cheek. "It's been too long."

"Hi, okay," Lorelai patted the girl awkwardly. "Nice to see you too. You remember Luke, right?"

"Of course," she reached out and shook his hand- much to Luke's relief. "Good to see you again."

"You too," Luke lied. "This is my daughter, April."

"Nice to meet you," Paris nodded.

"We're going out for lunch," Rory shared. "So call me if you need me."

The reporters nodded and turned back to their work, leaving Rory to collect her stuff and make a run for it.

"So where do you want to go?" Luke asked as they walked towards the parking lot.

"How about Hector's?"

"Yes! Hector's!" Lorelai agreed.

"What's Hector's?" April asked.

"The best tacos on the East Coast," Lorelai explained. "You're gonna love it. Come on!"


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

They had planned to get ice cream after lunch, but were forced to cut the outing short when Rory got a call about a group of protesters that had taken over one of the Dean's offices.

"Give us a call if you finish up early and we can swing by again, maybe bring you dinner," Lorelai offered.

"Actually, I'm having dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, it's kind of tradition."

"Of course it is," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Mom," Rory scolded. "Don't be like that."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Have fun with your grandparents. We're going to go look at rocks."

"Gemstones," April corrected.

"Yeah, those. See you later."

"See you later," Rory hugged each of them, then ran off to get started on reworking the paper.

"So, gemstones?" Lorelai turned to April.

"Gemstones," the girl grinned. "Come on."

Luke and Lorelai followed as she ran off in the direction of the Peabody museum, lacing their hands together as they walked.

They were in the middle of the Gemstones tour when things got interesting. April was telling Luke all about something or other while Lorelai checked in at the inn, watching them and laughing at the confused look on Luke's face.

"Lor?"

The use of the nickname made her wince as she turned and came face to face with her ex.

"Chris!" She smiled tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Parent's weekend," he gestured around them. "I thought I'd surprise Rory."

"Oh, that's nice."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm a parent too," she shrugged. "Plus, April wanted to see what college was like."

"April?" Chris frowned.

"Oh, uh, Luke's daughter."

"Luke has a daughter?"

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded.

Before she could go into any sort of explanation, Luke and April joined them, one completely oblivious to the tension and the other obviously annoyed.

"Luke, " Chris nodded to the other man in greeting. "Good to see you again."

"You too," Luke lied.

"Uh, Chris, this is April," Lorelai introduced her step-daughter. "April, this is Rory's dad, Christopher."

"Nice to meet you," April smiled and shook his hand. "Are you here to see the Gemstones too?"

"Uh, not specifically," Chris chuckled. "But they're pretty cool. Are you into that kind of thing?"

"Completely," April nodded emphatically. "I've got this _huge_ rock collection at home."

"Very cool," Chris nodded appreciatively. "So, what do you think of college so far?"

"It's great! I can't wait to start."

"Would you quit rushing?" Luke joked. "We've talked about this, just let me get through high school."

"Sorry," April shrugged.

"No she's not," Lorelai prodded him.

"Neither one of you is funny," Luke grumbled.

Christopher watched their interaction morosely, wishing it was him and Lorelai that were together for parent's weekend, but he kept his feelings to himself. He had lost, fair and square, and now he just had to accept it. As Lorelai had told him so many years before, they were where they were, and he would just have to accept that.

"Well, it was great running into you," he finally interrupted their bickering. "I should let you get back to the gemstones."

"Oh, yeah," Lorelai nodded. "It was good seeing you too, Chris. We'll talk soon."

"Sure," Chris nodded. "Good seeing you, Luke. April, nice to meet you. Good luck with that rock collection."

"Thanks," April grinned at him obliviously, then jogged off to look at another display.

Chris turned and melted back into the crowd of parents, leaving Luke and Lorelai to stare at each other unsurely.

"Did you know he was going to be here?" Luke asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Not a clue," Lorelai shook her head. "And I'm kind of getting the feeling that Rory doesn't know either, because she usually warns me about her dad's imminent arrival."

"Well I'm sure she'll be happy to see him."

Lorelai snorted and shook her head. "If there's one thing I can be completely sure of when it comes to Christopher, it's that his daughter no longer appreciates his random appearances."

"Well, at least he was pleasant," Luke tried.

"He _was_ pleasant," Lorelai agreed. "There is that. But whatever, let's just go back to listening to April's ramblings about... whatever she's rambling about."

"I think it's rocks," Luke frowned. "But I'm not completely sure."

"Do you think she knows we have no idea what she's talking about?" Lorelai asked quietly.

"She knows!" April called back to them.

"Damn!" They cursed and joined her again, Luke listening to April go on about whatever was in the display case, while Lorelai called Rory.

"I know you're busy, but I have an important bone to pick with you," Lorelai scolded her daughter.

"Alright, go for it, but I'm not going to stop typing."

"No problem," Lorelai agreed. "Did you perhaps forget to mention that my parents weren't the only surprise visitors I might run into this weekend?"

"Um, no?" Rory frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"We just ran into Christopher."

"Christopher? Like, my father, Christopher?"

"No, Christopher Plummer. He's looking great for his age," Lorelai answered sarcastically.

"Sorry, but I had no idea he was coming."

"You swear?"

"On whatever you want," Rory promised.

"Alright," her mother relented. "If you say so."

"Was it a problem, running into him?" Rory asked. "I mean, was he a dick or something?"

"No, he was totally pleasant," Lorelai shook her head. "Almost weirdly pleasant."

"Well, I don't know if I told you, but we had a good talk about you when we had lunch back in August. I told him you got married, and that you were really happy, and I think he's ready to back off for good."

"Well that was definitely the vibe he was giving me," Lorelai agreed. "Maybe he really is ready to step off."

"I hope so," Rory sighed. "I really don't want him to mess things up with you and Luke again."

"He won't," Lorelai promised. "I won't let him."

"Good. Okay, I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later, thanks for the warning about Dad, I'm sure he'll show up at some point today."

"Anytime. Write good."

"Thanks," Rory laughed. "Bye."

Rory called again that night, when they were driving home to fill her mother in on the rest of the day.

"So I'm going to be stuck here all night," she huffed. "Which Grandma took super well. Also, I know who invited Dad."

"I should have known," Lorelai cried. "That had Emily Gilmore written all over it!"

"Yeah, she was definitely the puppet master on that one." Rory agreed. "But on the bright side, because of that, I didn't have to really talk to him since he was supposed to come to dinner with us and I have to work all night."

"Wait, so you didn't have dinner with the grandparents?" Lorelai asked.

"No, I told you, I'm going to be stuck here all night. We'll probably end up sending a freshman for Chinese food or pizza at some point."

"So we got the only meal," Lorelai beamed and smacked Luke's arm.

"Ow!" He frowned. "I'm trying to drive here."

"We got the only meal," Lorelai told him, putting the phone on her shoulder. "We got the only meal!"

"You're saying that like it means something."

"Hey, remember me!" Rory called.

"Right, sorry," Lorelai put the phone back to her ear. "So dinner with the grandparents didn't happen and now you're stuck at the paper indefinitely?"

"Pretty much sums it up," Rory agreed. "I was really just calling to tell you that it was Grandma that invited Dad."

"Well, thanks for the update. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"If I have nothing better to do."

"I love you too," Lorelai snorted. "Bye, Hon."

"Bye."

Lorelai hung up the phone and started punching Luke's arm again.

"Driving!" He yelled. "You don't hit the driver!"

"He's kind of right," April stuck her head into the front seat.

"Shh," Lorelai pushed her back into her seat. "We got the only meal!"

"You keep saying that like I should know what it means," Luke shook his head.

"It means, we won parent's weekend!" Lorelai explained.

"Excuse me?"

"We won! We were the only ones that got a meal and time with Rory, everyone else got blown off," she beamed. "We won."

"I wasn't aware it was a competition, but okay." Luke shrugged in agreement. "Yay us."

"Did you just say 'yay'?" April leaned back into the front.

"Yes, yes he did," Lorelai confirmed.

"Please never say it again," April cringed. "It's just creepy."

"I'm creepy?" Luke asked.

"You are when you say 'yay'," April nodded.

"Yay," he smirked, making his daughter sit back looking horrified while he and Lorelai laughed.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

By the time November came around, it was time for Rory to step down as editor of the paper and make way for her successor, who- unsurprisingly- ended up being Bill. It was a bitter sweet moment for her, she had loved being editor more than anything, but all things came to an end and it was time to let someone else shine, so she went down with grace and poise. Paris was absolutely no help in this endeavour, immediately suggesting which anti-depressants Rory should start taking, no matter how many times Rory told her she was fine. By the time the weekend came, Rory couldn't get out of town fast enough.

The plan had been to head straight to Philly when her last class finished at 3, but Lucy and Olivia had called as she was putting her bag together and she decided to go hang out with them for the evening and head to Philly early Saturday morning.

When she got to the girls' dorm room, she found Olivia splayed on the floor building some sort of spinning contraption, which was later explained to be a mobile for her sister's baby, while Lucy binge watched reality television.

"Boyfriend is working, so she's eating it up with a fork and spoon," Olivia explained.

"Boyfriend hates reality television," Lucy expanded.

Rory still wasn't sure what to take of Lucy's inability to use her boyfriend's actual name, instead of just calling him 'Boyfriend', but she was pretty sure it just came from Lucy's eccentric personality.

"So you have to watch while he's gone," Rory nodded understandingly. "Got it."

"We were going to order some food while we binged. We can have a party!" Lucy gushed.

"Yes!" Olivia agreed immediately. "Party!"

"Yay!" Lucy jumped up and down excitedly. "Let's have a party!"

"Let's have a party," Rory laughed.

"Okay, if we're partying we need supplies," Olivia took charge. "Because we have absolutely nothing here. I think it's time for a grocery store adventure."

"My car is outside," Rory offered.

"Alright, let's go!"

The girls piled into Rory's car, and after an incredibly long trip to the grocery store in which everyone they passed probably thought they were either drunk or high, they found themselves back in Lucy and Olivia's dorm room with massive amounts of candy and Chinese food, watching 'Real World: Denver'. As the night wore on and the sugar kicked in, they found themselves dying their hair with some sort of vinegar-like substance Lucy put together.

"I feel like an Easter egg," Rory observed happily when the dye had been rinsed out and her new hot pink highlights were visible.

"We could totally start a girl band now," Olivia squealed.

"Yes!" Lucy agreed.

"Jess is going to freak when he sees this," Rory laughed, shaking her hair in front of the mirror. "Oh, I can't wait till tomorrow."

"Isn't it great surprising boyfriends?" Lucy gushed.

"So great," Rory laughed.

She ended up crashing on their couch for the night and leaving early the next morning while they were both still asleep. She had just pulled up in front of Truncheon when Lane called.

"Hey! I haven't heard from you in forever!" Rory greeted her best friend. "How did your doctor's appointment go?"

"I'm having twins."

"What?!" Rory gasped.

"Twins," Lane repeated, her voice slightly shrill.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Twice as many mouths to feed, twice as many diapers to buy," Lane panicked. "When the doctor told us, I couldn't believe it. And then she showed us the sonogram, and I just about passed out. And to top it all off, Zach was convinced that we were having Siamese twins and wouldn't stop freaking out about that."

"Zach really is a special brand," Rory sighed. "Did you finally set him straight?"

"Yes, but now he's completely calm about it and I'm freaking out!"

"I can hear that," Rory nodded. "And it's understandable. Twins is a lot."

"Thank you!" Lane cried. "At least someone understands."

"Completely," Rory assured her.

"At least now I know why I'm already getting fat," Lane huffed. "I have multiple human beings growing inside me."

"Yeah, I did notice you were starting to show the last time I saw you, but I didn't want to say anything," Rory admitted.

"Trust me, I knew. But now it's starting to get _really_ obvious, and we're having dinner with my mom tonight so we can tell her."

"Oh God."

"Yeah," Lane sounded terrified. "Will you miss me after she kills me?"

"With all my heart," Rory promised.

"I have to go, it's almost time for my morning worship of the porcelain gods," Lane sighed. "I just wanted to keep you in the loop and tell you I love you before my untimely death."

"I love you too," Rory tried not to laugh. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you think."

"Telling Mama Kim I got pregnant on my honeymoon won't be as bad as I think?" Lane challenged.

"Right," Rory frowned. "I'll miss you when you're gone."

"Me too. Wish me luck."

"Good luck, call me after."

"Will do," Lane agreed. "Bye."

Rory sighed and slipped her phone into her jacket pocket before heading inside.

"Hi, how can I- Rory!" Cynthia gasped. "Your hair!"

"Do you like it?" Rory asked, striking a pose.

"I love it!" Cynthia jumped up and ran over, running her hands through the new dye job. "It's adorable! What the hell possessed you to do it, though?"

"Sugar rush around two in the morning with a couple friends," Rory shrugged. "It's some weird vinegar and Kool-Aid kind of thing that washes out in a couple days."

"Ah, you have to tell me how to do it!" Cynthia ordered. "This is adorable!"

"I'll have Lucy send you the recipe," Rory promised. "Is Jess around?"

"Where else would he be?" Cynthia snorted. "It's not even noon."

"Well there have been a few times when he pretended to be a grown-up and left the apartment early," Rory reasoned.

"On a Saturday?"

"Good point. Well, I'm going to go tell him that I'm starting a Norwegian girl band and running away. See you later."

"See you," Cynthia laughed and went back to her desk.

Rory let herself into the apartment only to find that it was still completely quiet. From the other room, she could hear Jess' soft snores, indicating that he was still dead to the world. Smiling to herself, she slipped off her shoes, jacket and pants and slid into bed beside him, snaking her arm around his waist.

"Hey," she whispered into his ear.

"Hmm."

"Are you awake?"

He shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes shut tightly.

"That's a shame," Rory smiled to herself. "Because I've missed you so much!"

As she spoke, her hands worked their way lower and lower, until his eyes shot open and he turned to look at her.

"What the hell did you do to your hair?!" He demanded, quickly sitting up.

"Do you like it?" Rory smiled.

"It's pink."

"Yes it is," she agreed.

"Why is it pink?"

"Because purple and green were already taken by the other members of my band. And it's cute."

"Okay then," Jess nodded slowly, obviously trying to process what he was seeing. "What band?"

"The Norwegian girl band I'm starting with Lucy and Olivia," she explained. "You haven't said if you like it or not."

"It's... different."

"Different good, or different bad?" Rory prodded.

"Good," he answered slowly, reaching out to run his hands through it. "Actually, now that I'm looking at it, it's pretty hot."

"Really?"

"Really," Jess nodded and pulled her towards him, his hand still wrapped in her hair.

"Good," she smirked against his mouth. "I thought you would like it. I missed you."

When they finally got up to get some coffee, Rory explained how the pink hair had come about, and Paris's sudden need to have her committed.

"Well there's nothing wrong with being upset," Jess offered. "It's a big deal, having to step down."

"Yeah, it is," Rory agreed. "But I always knew it had to happen. This is the way it works, I just have to adjust."

"And the hair was helping with that?"

"Actually, yeah," she shrugged. "I just needed a change. Something crazy and different that I could control, in the middle of all the uncertainty that comes with senior year."

"So, what? It was either the hair or a torrid affair?"

"Pretty much," she smirked. "Although there's no rule saying I can't have both."

"Just try," Jess shook his head and kissed her soundly. "I bet he wouldn't be half the man I am."

"Yeah, you've kind of ruined everyone else for me," Rory sulked. "Damn you!"

Jess smiled and turned back to his coffee. "So, other than the hair, what's new?"

"I was talking to Lane when I first pulled up. She's having twins."

"Shut up!"

"Seriously," Rory tried not to smile.

"And I'm sure she's taking that news fabulously."

"Totally. She's going to tell her mother tonight."

"Man, I always did like Lane," Jess frowned. "I'll miss having her around."

"Me too," Rory sighed and sipped her own coffee. "God, and it's so much work breaking in a new best friend."

"I'm sure Cynthia would be happy to fill the position," Jess offered. "Or Matt."

"Matt would be a terrible best friend," Rory laughed. "If I tried to talk to him about sex or periods or anything like that, he would just turn bright red and run away."

"I'm sorry, are you saying you tell Lane about our sex life?"

"Of course," Rory frowned at him. "That's the entire point of having a best friend, being able to talk about your sex life and compare traumatic tampon incidents."

"Lovely," he cringed, making her laugh.

"If it makes you feel better, I know all the intricate details of her sex life too."

"Oddly enough, it really doesn't," Jess shook his head vigorously. "And I'd _really_ like to stop talking about this."

"Okay," Rory shrugged and launched into a vivid description of her night with Lucy and Olivia.

"I married an idiot!" Lane announced when she called the next night.

"I've been telling you that for months, but what exactly changed your mind?" Rory asked, giving Jess a confused look.

They were sitting on the couch, watching Pretty Woman and eating pizza from a shop that had recently opened around the corner and been declared the best in the city- Rory couldn't say she agreed.

"We told my mother," Lane explained. "It was total chaos. I was freaking out and trying to explain that we really did wait until after the wedding and I had a doctor's note to prove it. And Zach was pushing me back and telling my mother to hit him and not me. And then she just gets up, calm as anything, grabs my face and starts reciting Korean blessings."

"No way!"

"She was so happy!" Lane laughed disbelievingly. "She was like, 'Children are a gift from God that should be celebrated'."

"Wow," Rory gasped. " _So_ not the reaction I was expecting."

"Tell me about it," Lane assured her.

"I'm a little confused, though. What is it about this story that makes Zach an idiot?"

"Because after giving us her blessing and being all happy, she announces that we're going to move in with her," Lane explained.

"Ew," Rory cringed.

"Yeah, and my dear, sweet husband, idiot that he is, replies to this announcement by saying, 'Cool'."

"What?!"

"Yeah," Lane said exasperatedly. "I swear, I almost punched him in the face."

"That must have taken a lot of restraint."

"Trust me, it did. But when he said it, I was still too in shock about my mother being happy, so it didn't really process until a few minutes later."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I have no idea!" Lane cried. "But now that my mom knows, suddenly everyone else in town does too and I have so many other things to worry about, on top of my mother thinking we're going to be moving back in."

"What kinds of things?" Rory frowned. "I would think living with Mama Kim again would be pretty high on the priority list."

"It is," Lane assured her. "But I also have to keep myself from punching Luke every time he tells me I can't carry heavy plates, and beating the crap out of Kirk because he keeps coming up to me and putting his hand on my stomach."

"I say you just get it out of the way and beat him up," Rory offered. "I mean, Kirk only learns his lesson when he comes within inches of death."

Upon hearing this, Jess turned and looked at his girlfriend like she was absolutely insane, prompting her to hold up a finger and mouth that she would explain in a minute.

"It may come to that," Lane huffed. "For now, however, the most restraint I'm using is to keep me from killing Zach, because I know I'll regret that in the long run."

"Good call."

"Well, I have to go back to coming up with a way to get out of this whole situation," Lane sighed. "Just thought I'd call and let you know I'm still alive."

"I'm happy to hear it," Rory laughed. "I'll try and come up with some suggestions for your situation. If nothing else, I can explain to Luke that being pregnant doesn't mean you're suddenly an invalid."

"I appreciate it, I can use all the brain power I can get," Lane huffed. "Talk to you later?"

"Talk to you later," Rory agreed and hung up the phone.

"Alright, you have got to fill me in," Jess demanded immediately. "Why is Kirk getting his ass kicked, and can we go back and watch?"

"The news is out about Lane and Zach, so Kirk keeps going up to her and touching her stomach and Lane is very close to killing him, but that's not the best part."

"I shudder to think," Jess frowned.

"Zach agreed to move them back in with Mrs. Kim."

"Why?" Jess demanded. "What sane person would want to live with that woman?!"

"Who knows why Zach does anything," Rory shook her head. "All I know, is that Lane is trying her very best not to kill him, and we have to help her come up with a good excuse to keep that form happening."

"The killing, or the moving in?"

"The moving in. She knows she can't really kill him, if he dies she won't have anyone to pawn her screaming children off on."

"Got it," Jess nodded. "So we're coming up with a good reason for Lane to not move back home."

"That Mrs. Kim would agree with," Rory confirmed.

"Yeah... she's screwed."

"So screwed," Rory agreed, slumping back into the couch and turning the movie back on.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

The next weekend, Rory decided to go home for a couple days. Jess was going to be busy all weekend with promotional stuff, so they had decided there was no point in her making the drive up to Philly. Which was how she stumbled into the house on Friday night, just in time to see April run out of the kitchen with her hands over her ears, humming to herself, while Luke called after her and Lorelai laughed loudly.

"What is going on?" Rory asked, dropping her bag and heading into the kitchen.

"My dad is being gross!" April yelled.

"I'm not being gross!" Luke argued. "I'm just trying to ask a question."

Lorelai continued to laugh, not offering any extra information on the situation.

"I'm gonna need to buy a vowel," Rory frowned.

"Go talk to April," Lorelai finally joined the conversation, still giggling. "I have to talk to Luke."

"Okay then," Rory nodded and left them alone, joining April in the living room. "Alright, what did I miss?"

"I'm going to my friend Sabrina's birthday party tomorrow," April explained. "Which also happens to be my first boy-girl party."

"Exciting," Rory nodded.

"I guess."

"So how does this equate to Luke being gross?"

"He was asking whether or not there was going to be kissing!" April told her, obviously not impressed with her father's line of thought.

"Ah," Rory bit back a laugh. "Well, you know, it's a valid question."

"Did your dad ask you that when you went to _your_ first boy-girl party?" April challenged.

"Well, my dad was never really around for that kind of stuff," Rory admitted. "But you've been living with my mom for the last month, so you know how unfiltered she can be. Stuff like that was never off limits with us."

"It's not off limits with my mom either," April nodded. "But it's very different when your dad is the one asking."

"I can understand that," Rory laughed. "But I wouldn't worry too much. I think my mom is going to convince him to let her take this one."

"God, I hope so," April cringed. "Because I _really_ don't want to talk to him about this."

"Talking is nothing," Rory shook her head. "Wait until he walks in on you, half undressed, making out with a boy."

"Has he done that to you?" April gasped.

"More than once," Rory admitted. "He used to interrupt Jess and I a lot when we were in high school, and the guy I was dating before I got back together with Jess, well, we got together at a party for my grandparents and Luke found us. I swear, if my mom hadn't held him back, Luke would have ripped him in half."

"Something to look forward to," April frowned.

"If it makes you feel better, if I had let him beat him up, I probably would have saved myself a lot of trouble."

"I really doesn't," April shook her head.

"Okay!" Lorelai called from the kitchen. "It's safe to come back now!"

"Thank God," Rory got to her feet. "I'm starving."

They headed back into the kitchen and Rory helped herself to whatever was sitting on the stove.

"Hey, Kid. What's new?" Lorelai asked her as she sat down.

"Paris has created a list of college student things we need to experience before we graduate, and she's been dragging me all over the place to finish the stupid list," Rory explained as she shovelled food into her mouth. "So this week, we went to some sort of chamber music performance."

"How was that?" Luke asked, wrinkling his nose.

"It was okay," Rory shrugged. "The part I was awake for, at least. And then, after that, we went to a basketball game."

"You and Paris?" Lorelai frowned.

"Yep."

"You and Paris went to a basketball game?"

"Yes we did," Rory nodded. "A lot of people are into the sports thing, apparently, which qualifies it as an important college experience. And, I mean, I can see why- the fast pace and school spirit and all that."

"So you actually liked basketball?" Luke asked.

"Again, the part I was awake for."

"That seems a little more believable," Lorelai nodded.

"What's new with you?" Rory turned the conversation to her mother and listened while she listed all the new things going on at the inn.

The next morning, Rory and Lane met for breakfast so they could catch up on each others lives.

"So Mama Kim has moved in?" Rory gave her friend a sympathetic look.

"Yep," Lane sighed. "At least it feels like it. She's there all the time. I don't even know how she's keeping the store running, since she's never there."

"Just think of it this way," Rory offered. "When you're super pregnant and can barely stand up, you're going to be pretty psyched to have somebody else running around keeping your house clean and cooking for you."

"If that person were anyone else, sure," Lane nodded. "But this is my mother. If I have to spend more than ten minutes in the same room as her, I start coming up with medical emergencies to get myself out of the room."

"Well, just bear in mind, you can only fake going into labour so many times before people stop believing you."

"I know," Lane sighed. "I'm keeping that one in my back pocket for really desperate situations."

"Good plan," Rory laughed.

When they finished breakfast Rory went to hang out in the bookstore for a while before going back home to do some homework. When she got there, she found Luke in the kitchen doing dishes while April wrapped her friend Sabrina's present with newspaper.

"What are you doing here?" Rory asked Luke.

"I promised April I'd drive her to her party," he shrugged. "And it was pretty quiet at the diner, so I left Caesar in charge and took the afternoon off."

"Wow, you're really working hard on that whole 'delegating' concept," Rory nodded appreciatively and turned to April. "Darfur, really? That doesn't exactly scream 'Happy Birthday' to me."

"I plan on using it to give Sabrina perspective," April explained. "You know, in case she doesn't like the CD I got her."

"Sure," Rory nodded and went to get her laptop.

From the other room, she could hear Luke worriedly asking April if she was feeling okay, as she limped around the kitchen table to get the tape.

"Hey!" Lorelai suddenly called from the entry way. "Anybody home?"

"We're in here," Luke called.

"What are you doing home?" Lorelai frowned at her husband.

"I told April I'd drive her to her party."

"I thought I was driving her."

"It doesn't really matter," April shrugged. "As long as I get there."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Lorelai challenged.

"Because that's how all the real adults make decisions," Rory offered as she passed them, heading to the living room.

"Hey, it's never failed us yet," her mother shrugged. "What are you doing?"

"Homework."

"Nerd," Lorelai mocked her.

"There's the parental encouragement that got me into an Ivy League school."

"I'm nothing if not encouraging!" Lorelai smiled, then turned back to her step-daughter. "Hey, April, can we talk about something for a second?"

"Sure," April nodded and sat down, wincing as she did so.

"You okay?" Lorelai asked her.

"I'm fine. I just have a stomachache," April waved off her concern. "What's up."

"Hey, Hon?" Lorelai poked Luke before she sat down. "Why don't you go do something else."

"Way to be subtle," Luke rolled his eyes.

"You're going to talk about kissing, aren't you?" April groaned.

"I am," Lorelai nodded. "But I'm not going to be as crazy as your Dad."

"I'll be the judge of that, if you don't mind."

Lorelai shrugged in agreement. "Okay, so this is your first boy-girl party, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, well, all I want to say is that, you shouldn't feel pressured into kissing anyone at this party if you don't think you're ready. Even if everyone else is doing it."

"And if I do feel ready?" April asked.

"Then that is completely your decision, just don't do it wrong."

"How do I know if I'm doing it wrong?" April frowned.

"If there's blood involved," Lorelai shrugged. "Oh, and I recommend not telling your Dad," she whispered.

"Don't tell her to hide things from me!" Luke yelled from the other room, making his wife curse his perfect hearing.

"I'm not!" she called back, then turned to April and shook her head rapidly. "Tell me," she whispered even quieter than before. "Or your mom. Or Rory... basically anyone other than your Dad."

"Got it," April agreed. "Thanks, Lorelai."

"Anytime," Lorelai smiled and squeezed her arm. "Luke, you can come back now!"

April laughed when her dad returned, looking a little sheepish, then winced again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Luke asked her.

"I'm fine," April frowned. "Now, where did I put Sabrina's card?"

"Counter," Lorelai pointed.

"Oh, thanks!"

When she winced again, Luke got concerned.

"Sweetie, you really don't look too good," he frowned. "Come here, let me feel your forehead."

"Dad, I'm fine," April tried to dodge his hand, but didn't move fast enough.

"Sweetie, you're really warm," Luke frowned. "You definitely have a fever."

"I swear, Dad, I feel fine," April argued.

"You can't go to the party if you're sick."

"I'm not sick!" she cried.

"Yeah, you are, Sweetie," Luke shook his head.

"You just don't want me to go!" April snapped.

"That's not true," Luke shook his head, hating the desperate look she was giving him.

"It is! You just don't trust me!"

"Of course I trust you. Look, there will be other parties."

"NO!" April screamed.

"I'm sorry," Luke frowned. "You're sick."

"I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are."

"I can go!"

"No, you can't," Luke shook his head sadly.

"You suck as a dad!" April screamed, turning and stomping into her room, slamming the door behind her.

As the door slammed, Luke sunk into a chair and put his head in his hands.

"She didn't mean it," Lorelai tried to comfort him, reaching out and squeezing his arm. "She's just upset."

"I know," he sighed. "I just hate having to be the bad guy. She's been looking forward to this party for weeks."

"She'll get over it," Lorelai promised. "You're right, there _will_ be other parties."

"Yeah," Luke nodded. "I have to get back to the diner, since I'm not taking her anymore. Can you keep an eye on her?"

"Of course," she nodded.

"Thanks. I'll be back in a couple hours," he got up and kissed her.

"We'll be here."

Once Luke was gone, Lorelai went and joined Rory in the living room.

"That was loud," Rory frowned. "And angry."

"Yeah," Lorelai sighed. "Poor Luke, he looked so sad when she was yelling. He feels so bad having to tell her she can't go."

"He sounded sad," Rory agreed.

"Yes, well, parents never like saying no to their children. What are you working on?"

"A paper for my Women's Studies class on sexism in the workplace."

"Sounds fun," Lorelai frowned. "I'm going to go make myself a snack. Do you want something?"

"I wouldn't say no to some marshmallows."

"Coming up."

Lorelai checked on April a little bit later, but didn't get very far. April wasn't exactly in a chatty mood, and eventually asked Lorelai to just leave her alone.

When Luke came back an hour later, he went and tried to make peace with her himself, but quickly came back out calling for Lorelai.

"Her fever is really high," he explained, a worried look on his face. "And she looks so pale!"

"Okay, calm down," Lorelai squeezed his arm. "Let's go see what's going on."

They headed back into the room where April was curled up on her bed, moaning.

"Hey, Sweetie," Lorelai sat down beside her. "What's going on? Is it your stomach?"

April nodded and let out another moan of pain.

"Where does it hurt?" Lorelai asked her.

When April pointed to her right side, Lorelai cringed.

"Okay, I think you might have appendicitis," she smoothed April's hair away from her forehead.

"Appendicitis?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I think we should take her to the hospital."

"No," April moaned. "I don't want to."

"I know, Sweetie," Luke knelt in front of her. "But if you have appendicitis, you have to go to the doctor."

"I'll pack a bag and we can go," Lorelai offered.

Luke nodded and went back to coaxing April out of bed.

"Rory!" Lorelai called as she headed towards her own room.

"What's going on?" Rory asked, following her mother up the stairs.

"We're taking April to the hospital," Lorelai explained, pulling a large bag out of her closet and throwing a couple books and a sweater for herself and Luke inside. "I think she has appendicitis."

"Crappy," Rory frowned. "Do you need me to come too?"

"No, we should be fine," Lorelai shook her head and headed back to the stairs. "I'm just going to pack some stuff for April and then we'll go. I'll keep you posted."

"Okay," Rory nodded.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Luke was helping April out the door to the truck.

"Feel better!" Rory called, resulting in April letting out another moan.

"I'll be there in a second," Lorelai called after them.

She hurried into April's room and grabbed her a change of clothes and some stuff to keep her entertained, then hurried out to the car.

"Call me when you know what's going on!" Rory called after her.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

By the time they got to the hospital, April was in tears, curled up beside Lorelai in the truck, moaning in pain while Luke drove.

"I'm sorry, Hon," Lorelai stroked her hair comfortingly. "We'll be there in just a few minutes, okay?"

Luke kept looking between the road and his daughter, a terrified look on his face, despite Lorelai's repeated assurances that everything was going to be fine.

They were admitted within minutes of walking into the ER, when a nurse took one look at April and thought her appendix may have ruptured. Thankfully it hadn't, but they didn't waste any time getting her into surgery.

Luke and Lorelai were allowed to stay with her as she was prepped, after Lorelai promised to keep him from attacking any of the nurses or doctors. As the doctor explained what was going to happen, Luke panicked and offered his own appendix as a replacement, resulting in Lorelai being forced to bite her tongue to keep from laughing despite her own worry.

"Honey, they're just going to take it out," she squeezed Luke's hand.

"It's a very simple procedure," the doctor agreed. "You really have nothing to worry about."

When they had finally convinced Luke that everything was going to be fine, April was wheeled off to surgery, leaving him and Lorelai to sit in the waiting room and anxiously wait for a doctor or nurse to come talk to them.

"There's nothing worse than taking your kid to the emergency room," Lorelai tried to comfort him as they waited. "I remember when Rory had food poisoning, and they had to hook her up to an I.V and she just looked so little and scared. It made me feel like they were going to have to hook me up to an I.V. But it was fine, and this will be too."

"I know," Luke nodded. "I'm just..."

"Worried," she filled in the blank. "Just like any other parent would be."

"I'm really glad you're here," Luke sighed heavily and took her hand. "I think I might have completely lost my mind if you weren't."

"Well that whole appendix transplant idea was a little out there," she joked, then smiled when he chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I wasn't exactly thinking straight there."

"That's okay. You're not supposed to think straight when your kid is sick, that's what other people are for."

"Thank God for other people," He squeezed her hand again, then settled into his seat for the longest hour of his life.

"I'm going to go get some coffee and call Rory," Lorelai announced after the first half hour. "Are you going to be okay by yourself for a minute?"

"Yeah," Luke sighed. "I'll be fine."

"Do you want some tea?"

"No, thanks."

Lorelai nodded and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly before going to look for coffee.

Once she found a machine, she pulled her phone out and called Rory.

"Hey, how's everything going?"

"I was right," Lorelai sighed. "It's appendicitis. She's in surgery now."

"How's Luke?" Rory asked, sounding concerned.

"He's pretty worried, but he'll be fine once she's out of surgery."

"Should I come down and keep you company?" Rory offered. "I could bring food or something."

"No, that's okay, Sweetie," Lorelai declined the offer. "We're good. You should just focus on doing your school work."

"Okay," Rory nodded, not sounding overly convinced. "Well, if you need anything just call me. Anything at all."

"I will," Lorelai promised. "I just wanted to keep you in the loop."

"Thanks. Call me when she's out?"

"Will do," Lorelai nodded and hung up, taking her coffee and heading back to Luke. She was just around the corner from the waiting room entrance when she heard him yelling.

"Five minutes have passed since you started this insane conversation. So if I were you, I'd go put another quarter in and call it a day!"

Walking back into the room, Lorelai saw that Luke's outburst had done nothing to stop the other couple in the room from arguing and hurried back over to him.

"Hey," she offered him her coffee, but he shook his head. "Rory sends her love."

"Thanks," Luke sighed and rubbed his face. "A nurse just came out to say that everything went fine and we'll be able to see her soon."

"That's great!" Lorelai beamed.

Before Luke could agree, April's doctor came out to speak with them.

"Mr and Mrs Nardini?"

"Oh, no," Luke got to his feet. "It's Danes. I'm Luke Danes, April's father."

"Of course, sorry," the doctor nodded. "Mr and Mrs Danes, April did great. Everything went exactly as it should have, and she's in recovery now. If you want to follow me, you can go sit with her."

"Great, thank you." Luke nodded eagerly and followed the man out into the hallway, Lorelai close on his heels.

"Now, she's still pretty out of it, but there's nothing to be worried about," the doctor assured them as they entered the room. "The anaesthesia will wear off over the next few hours."

"Okay, thank you," Luke nodded and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed.

"Yes, thanks," Lorelai smiled at the doctor.

"If you need anything, just press the call button on the bed," he smiled and left them alone.

"I should go call Anna," Luke looked over at Lorelai. "She's probably just as worried as I was."

"I'll call her," Lorelai offered. "You should stay here with April."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Lorelai waved off his concern. "Anna and I are pals, and it might help talking to someone who's not as panicked."

"Fair enough," Luke relented. "Thanks."

"No problem," she got up and kissed his cheek on her way out the door. Once she was in the hallway, Lorelai pulled her phone out and dialled the emergency number Anna had given her.

"Luke?!" Anna answered on the first ring, her voice shrill and panicked.

"It's Lorelai."

"Lorelai, what's going on? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Lorelai assured her. "You can stop panicking. Everything went completely fine in surgery and Luke's sitting with her right now, I can see them from where I'm standing."

"Thank God," Anna let out a sigh of relief. "God, I've been going crazy since you called."

"I know," Lorelai sympathized. "I've been there. But you can rest easy now. We've got her and she'll be good as new by morning."

"Okay, thanks, Lorelai. It helps knowing there's another mother there with her. Not that I don't trust Luke, or think he could handle this-" Anna rushed to explain herself.

"But sometimes you just need a mother's touch," Lorelai finished the thought. "Even if it's not your own mother. Ya, I get it. Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets plenty of mothering until you get back."

"Thank you," Anna laughed breathily. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad she has you for a step-mother."

"Thank you," Lorelai was a little taken aback.

"Can you put Luke on the phone for a minute?"

"Sure," Lorelai stuck her head back into the room and held out the phone. "Hey, Anna wants to talk to you for a minute."

"Oh, sure," He got to his feet, then looked back at April nervously.

"Don't worry," Lorelai smiled. "I'll make sure she doesn't make a run for it while you're gone."

Luke nodded and took the phone, stepping into the hallway and letting Lorelai take his seat.

Knowing that it would be a while before April started to wake up, Lorelai picked up the TV remote and started flipping through the channels, delighted to find that 'The Philadelphia Story' was on. Keeping a close eye on April, she settled in for the long haul and waited for Luke to come back in.

"Everything okay?" She asked when he brought her phone back.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Everything's fine."

Lorelai watched him, trying to decide whether or not he was telling her the truth, but when he smiled she smiled back.

"Okay," she agreed. "If you say so. Are you hungry?"

"I'm okay," Luke shook his head.

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten since this morning."

"Maybe in a bit," he waved her off.

They spent the night with April, despite Luke's repeated suggestions that Lorelai should go home and sleep in a real bed.

"Forget it, buddy. You're stuck with me," she shook her head adamantly and accepted the blanket and pillow the nurse had brought in for her.

Luke eventually gave up and settled in for the night, wondering what he had done to deserve such an amazing wife and daughter.

When they woke up the next morning, Rory was there with coffee, breakfast and a change of clothes for each of them.

"You're a God send!" Lorelai gushed, taking the coffee her daughter offered.

"I figured you guys could probably do with some real coffee," she shrugged. "Hospital coffee sucks."

"You can say that again," Lorelai laughed, but was distracted from the drink when April started to move.

"Hey!" Luke immediately dropped back into his chair and took his daughter's hand.

"Dad?" She asked sleepily.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here," Luke assured her.

"What happened?"

"You had surgery," Luke explained. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore... thirsty."

"Thirsty can be fixed," Lorelai offered, pouring some water into a cup and passing it to Luke.

"I'll go get the nurse," Rory offered.

"Wow, it's a party," April observed after taking a drink. "I feel popular."

"You should," Lorelai smiled at her. "You missed the hats and cake, though."

"Oh well," she shrugged.

"Good morning," a chipper nurse entered the room, followed by Rory. "I'm Cindy, I'll be your nurse. How are we doing in here?"

"Sore," Luke answered for his daughter.

"Well let's see what we can do about that," Cindy smiled. "Do you guys mind giving us some privacy?"

"Um," Luke looked nervously between his daughter and the nurse, obviously not happy with the idea of leaving her alone.

"Can Lorelai stay?" April asked nervously. "No offence, Dad, but-"

"No," Luke raised his hands in acceptance. "That's fine. Lorelai will stay, and Rory and me will be right outside."

"Thanks, Dad."

He nodded and left them alone, taking Rory with him.

"Coffee?" She offered.

"Thanks," Luke took a long drink and sighed.

"So, how you doing?"

"I'm fine," Luke promised. "Just worried."

"She's fine," Rory patted his arm. "The nurse told me, and she seemed to know what she was doing, despite her overly chipper personality."

"I'm glad you think so," Luke chuckled. "What else have you got there?"

"Danishes," Rory offered him the bag.

"Great."

April was released from the hospital that afternoon with a gnarly scar and orders to stay in bed, rest and get plenty of fluids. When her mother got home a few days later, April was more excited to show off her new scar than she was to see her again.

"Thank you, again," Anna hugged Lorelai as Luke helped April to the car. "I can't tell you how much peace of mind it brought me, knowing you were here."

"I just did what any mother would do," Lorelai shrugged. "Besides, April is a great kid, who wouldn't want to help take care of her?"

"All the same," Anna shook her head.

"Hey, I signed up for this when I married Luke. I have no intentions of replacing you, or trying to be another mother to your kid, but I promised to love her like she was my own."

Anna nodded, obviously getting emotional at this declaration.

"Hey," Luke stuck his head through the door. "She's all set to go."

"Okay," Anna sniffed and hugged Lorelai again. "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," Lorelai nodded.

"Bye, Luke."

"Bye," He nodded and let her through the door, following her out onto the porch. "What was that all about?" He asked when Lorelai joined him.

"Nothing," she shook her head and smiled. "Just a Mom thing."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

"Okay, explain this to me again?" Rory asked Jess on their nightly phone call a couple weeks later.

"My mother, the crackpot that she is, has decided to have her baby at home," he repeated.

Liz had announced her pregnancy a few months earlier, though Luke had already told Jess by the time she got around to mentioning it. He still wasn't sure why the woman had tried to hide it from him for so long, but that was besides the point for the time being.

"At home," Rory repeated. "With a..."

"Doula," Jess finished the sentence.

"What the hell is a doula?"

"A witch doctor!" Paris called as she walked past the open door.

"I wasn't asking you," Rory shot back.

"It's some sort of birthing coach," Jess explained. "I'm not really sure. All I actually know, is that she plans to have the thing in her living room and she wants Luke and I to be there."

"Okay," Rory tried to decide which half of that sentence to tackle first. "First of all, it's not a 'thing', it's a baby. And second, ha ha sucks to be you."

"Wow, that's so helpful."

"I'm sorry, what would you like me to say?" Rory asked.

"That you'll brave it with me."

"That's definitely not going to happen," Rory assured him. "But I will point out that you live four hours away. When she calls, just take your time leaving and you'll probably get there too late for the actual thing."

"I guess," he sighed. "That doesn't make this any less weird, though."

"Maybe she'll change her mind," Rory tried to comfort him.

"The woman is of her rocker, there's no way in hell she's going to suddenly decide to take the rational route."

"Yeah..." Rory chewed on her cheek for a minute, then clicked her tongue. "You're screwed."

"Okay, I'm going to go call Luke now. At least he understands where I'm coming from."

"I understand," Rory argued. "But there's nothing I can do to change it, and I'm not the one who has to watch their mother give birth, so I'm obligated to mock."

"Yet."

"Sorry?" Rory asked.

"You're not the one who has to watch their mother give birth, _yet_ ," Jess explained.

"That's true, but if that ever happened, my mother wouldn't plan on giving birth in her living room. She would be heavily drugged and in a hospital."

"So you still have no sympathy for me."

"Exactly."

"Well then I'm calling Luke"

"Love you," Rory laughed and hung up the phone.

"So who's using a Doula?" Paris asked, leaning against Rory's door frame. "And why do they hate their unborn child?"

"Jess's mom," Rory sighed.

"That's the one that dresses up and pretends she's still living in the dark ages, right?"  
"I don't exactly think she would describe it that way," Rory frowned. "But yes."

"Figures, it's always the crazy hippies that think they can go it without a real doctor. Don't they look at the statistics?"

"I don't think she does."

"Well she should," Paris snapped.

"I'll make sure to tell her that."

"Good." Paris nodded aggressively, then spun around and stomped back into the living room.

Later that week, Rory was hanging out in Lucy and Olivia's room, studying for a test she had coming up in between offering her opinion on Lucy's upcoming birthday party.

"What about drinks?" She asked.

"Boyfriend is a wicked awesome bartender," Lucy assured her. "Drinks are more than taken care of."

As she spoke, there was a knock at the door and Olivia jumped up to answer it.

"Speak of the drunken devil," she smiled at the visitor.

"Boyfriend!" Lucy squealed and ran to the door, throwing it open and jumping into the man's arms.

"Rory, this is Boyfriend," she turned and pulled him into the room, to reveal Marty.

"Oh!" Rory smiled. "Yeah, I-"

"It's Marty, actually," he reached out and offered her his hand.

"Um, hi," Rory accepted the handshake, a confused frown on her face.

"Rory was just helping us plan my party," Lucy explained.

"Oh, yeah? How's it going?"

"Fantastic!" Lucy squealed. "It's going to be so incredibly 2002."

"I'm sure it will," Marty nodded.

The rest of the evening was awkward, but Rory pushed through in the hopes of finding a moment to talk to Marty alone. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance, and ended up leaving just as confused as she had been at the beginning of the night.

"So he just pretended not to know you?" Jess asked when Rory told him about her night.

"Yep. It was like he had never even seen me before," she confirmed. "Which is crazy, because we were really good friends before I met Logan. I've seen the guy naked, for Christ's sakes."

"You know, I wouldn't start with that when you tell Lucy about this."

"What do you mean, when I tell Lucy?"

"You're not going to tell her?" Jess frowned.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I'm just so confused! Maybe I'll try talking to him about it at the party. Are you going to come to that, by the way?"

"I'm going to try, but I don't think I'll be able to spin it," Jess apologized. "We've got a couple performances this weekend and I think Matt and Chris need the help."

"Oh well, I'll just have to find someone else to make out in a corner with," Rory shrugged.

"Well sure," Jess played along. "I couldn't expect you to spend a party by yourself."

"I'm so glad you understand."

She could practically hear Jess rolling his eyes through the phone.

"So, explain the theme Lucy has chosen for this party," Jess changed the subject.

"2002."

"That's not a theme, that's a year."

"Okay, the theme is 2002 Trends," Rory offered. "Does that work for you?"

"It makes more sense, grammatically, but I still think it's a stupid theme."

"Well then it's a good thing it's not your party, now isn't it?"

"I suppose." Jess agreed and Rory heard muffled voices in the background.

"Who's that?"

"Chris. He agrees with me that 2002 is a stupid theme."

"You know, oddly enough, I don't remember asking for either of your opinions," Rory pointed out.

"We offer them freely," Jess shrugged. "Chris says hi, by the way."

"Hi Chris!" She yelled.

"Thank you for that," Rory could hear Jess attempting to pop his ears. "Maybe a little warning before you scream right into my ear."

"I thought you liked it when I screamed," She answered cheekily.

"I'm sorry, did Rory Gilmore just make a dirty joke?" Cynthia's voice suddenly came through the phone.

"She does it a lot, actually," Jess laughed. "Just not in front of other people."

"I wasn't aware I was in front of other people now," Rory blushed. "How about a little warning before you put me on speaker phone?"

"And I refer you back to the permanent hearing loss you just caused me," Jess shrugged.

"Whatever," Cynthia cut into their bickering. "We're not judging."

"I would hope not," Rory scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt asked.

"Oh, good. You're there too," Rory sighed.

"Of course I'm here. We're keeping Jess company while you're gone so he doesn't try to off himself."

"No, you're scrounging food out of my fridge because none of you have grocery shopped in weeks," Jess corrected him.

"That too," Matt agreed. "Now, what do you mean, she can't judge?"

"None of you can judge," Rory laughed. "I know the intimate details of all your sex lives, and I've seen you all naked."

"When have you seen Cynthia naked?!" Matt demanded.

"When has she seen _you_ naked!?" Cynthia countered.

"There was a very drunken night involving tequila and stale donuts when she first moved in," Matt muttered.

"Where was I?!"

"At school, being a responsible adult," Rory offered.

"Interesting... you wouldn't happen to have pictures-"

There was a muffled squeal and the sound of what Rory assumed were pillows, hitting the floor, followed by people running.

"Okay then," Jess put the phone back to his ear. "Now that we're alone again."

"What happened to Chris?"

"He could never say no to a good pillow fight."

"Only true killjoys can," Rory nodded.

"Thank you for that. So, what are you going to do about the whole Naked Guy, thing?"

"His name is Marty," Rory laughed. "And I don't know! That was the entire point of this phone call, before it was completely derailed."

"Well, I hope you figure it out soon."

"Wait, what? Where are you going?!" Rory demanded.

"To make sure Cynthia doesn't kill my business partners, good luck."

"You are a terrible boyfriend!" Rory yelled.

"I love you, too!" Jess laughed as he hung up.

By the time Saturday came around, Rory and Olivia had been able to accumulate boxes upon boxes of 2002 related paraphernalia, much to Lucy's joy. Rory had also been able to convince Paris to attend the party, which was proving to be problematic for _her_ , but Lucy was completely ecstatic.

"I don't get it," Paris had complained earlier in the week, letting herself into Rory's room.

"Don't get what?" Rory sighed.

"2002 Party."

"It's a theme," Rory rolled her eyes.

"How is that a theme?" Paris demanded.

"It's just supposed to be funny."

"I'm not laughing."

"Do you ever?" Rory muttered under her breath. "You don't have to go."

"Why not 2001?" Paris asked. " _Space Odyssey_ \- that's a theme. People dress up like astronauts or apes."

"I don't know what to tell you, Paris," Rory shrugged. "That's the theme. Take it or leave it."

"Will there be dancing?"

"Yes, there will be dancing."

"What kind of dancing?"

"I don't know," Rory frowned. "2002 dancing?"

"So we're talking mostly hip-hop," Paris nodded.

"Paris, you don't have to hip-hop dance at this party," Rory assured her, a terrifying image appearing in her mind of Paris and Doyle grinding against each other to a J Lo song.

"I can hip-hop dance!" Paris replied testily. "Don't you worry. Doyle and I will be scorching the floorboards."

"Looking forward to it," Rory cringed.

Before Paris could continue to describe her and Doyle's dancing skills, Rory's phone blessedly began to ring, giving her a reason to shoo Paris out of the room.

"Hi Mom," She answered the phone and dropped onto her bed.

"Guess what?" Lorelai asked, sounding slightly morose.

"What?"

"Last night, Anna came to the diner and announced to Luke that she's moving to New Mexico and taking April with her."

"No!" Rory gasped.

"Yes. Just walked in and dropped it on him, no warning, no discussion, nothing!"

"Can she do that?" Rory demanded. "Is that even legal."

"Well, yeah," Lorelai sighed. "She has sole custody, but that doesn't make it any less awful."

"God, of course not! How's Luke doing?"

"I don't think he's really processed it yet," Lorelai admitted. "He seems kind of numb. But April is with him at the diner right now, so I feel like he'll have a stronger opinion by tonight."

"Poor Luke," Rory sighed. "He just got his daughter, and now she's getting sent across the country."

"I know." There was a heavy pause as they both contemplated Luke's current predicament. "Okay, let's talk about something happy. What are you gonna pledge me?"

"For what?" Rory asked, trying to follow her Mom's though process.

"In the Knit-A-Thon!" Her mother cried. "You know, to make money to repair the same bridge we've been repairing for twenty years?"

"Oh, right!" Rory nodded.

"So, what do you say?" Lorelai asked. "10 bucks a skein?"

"How about $5?" Rory countered.

"So, $15?"

"Make it $3."

"$20 a skein," Lorelai continued trying to up sell her.

"$1.50" Rory challenged.

"25 smackeroos?"

"75 cents."

"We have no idea how to haggle, do we?" Lorelai huffed.

"No idea," Rory agreed. "Why don't you put me down for $30 even?"

"I will not take less than $30, and it's a deal," Lorelai returned to her haggling attempts.

"The best I can do is $30," Rory shrugged.

"Alright, you give me $30 and it's a deal."

"Do I have to pledge Luke too?"

"No, he's just a spectator. But I'd like to see you offer to pledge him, that would be fun." Lorelai joked.

As they talked, Paris suddenly cranked the stereo in the living room, playing some sort of rap music that made Rory cringe.

"What are you listening to?" Her mother asked judgmentally.

"That's Paris," Rory got up and closed the door. "She and Doyle are practising so they can scorch the floorboards at Lucy's party this weekend."

"The poor floorboards," Lorelai laughed. "How is the party prep going?"

"Good," Rory shrugged. "We're just about ready to party like it's 2002. There's just on thing- this whole Marty debacle. It's so annoying to be around him."

"Is he still acting all cold and weird?"

"Beyond cold and beyond weird," she confirmed.

"Well, you're a hard one to get over. He probably just feels bad," Lorelai tried to make sense of the boy's actions. "When guys feel rejected they act all cold and weird."

"Yeah, but I rejected him- if that's even what happened- years ago!" Rory argued. "I mean, there's a statute of limitations on being a jerk, isn't there?"

"He probably just feels awkward. Maybe you should try to be nice."

"He's not exactly being nice to me."

"Well, you just have to be the bigger person," Lorelai shrugged.

"Why doesn't _he_ be the bigger person?" Rory asked petulantly.

"Because you're 11 feet tall, and he's a mere mortal."

"I hate being 11 feet tall."

"I know," Lorelai tried to sound sympathetic. "It's hell finding jeans that fit, huh?"

"You said it," Rory huffed. "Okay, I've got to go. Talk to you later?"

"Later," her mother agreed. "And $30 a skein, right?"

"Total! $30 total!" Rory corrected.

"Thanks, Hon!" Lorelai hung up, leaving Rory to yell into the disconnected line.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

When Rory arrived at the party Saturday night, Paris and Doyle in tow, it was already in full swing. The dorm room was packed from wall to wall, and Lucy was in full hostess mode- and already slightly tipsy, a plastic tiara balanced on the top of her head.

"Hi!" Lucy beamed at Rory when she saw her elbowing her way over.

"Hi," Rory smiled and pointed to the glass in Lucy's hand. "How are you enjoying your first legal drink?"

"Third, actually," Lucy corrected. "But it's good. I kind of miss being a lawbreaker, though."

Rory laughed, completely understanding the feeling. There had been something thoroughly depressing about finally being allowed to drink in her grandparent's house when she turned 21.

"Oh, my God!" Lucy gasped, suddenly. "It's Paris Geller!"

"I told you I'd bring her," Rory laughed.

"You totally delivered! Who's the dude?"

"That's her boyfriend, Doyle."

"I'm fascinated," Lucy watched as they made their way across the room.

"Well go talk to her," Rory waved her away.

"Really?"

"It's your party."

"Right," she nodded nervously. "How do I look?"

"You look tiara'ed, 21 and fabulous," Rory assured her. "Now go!"

Lucy smiled and bounced her way over to her idol, leaving Rory to make her way over to the bar.

"Barkeep," she smacked the counter. "I'll have an upside-down tequila slammer with a twist."

"I don't know how to make that," Marty frowned.

"That's because I just made it up."

"Oh."

"Really?" Rory finally snapped. "Is this the way it's going to be from now on? I say something, and you grunt and make me feel like an idiot, really? That's it?"

"What do you want me to say?" Marty huffed.

"Well, what I'd like you to say is that you've put me in a really difficult position, and the least you can do is not be a jerk about it."

His face fell, and he let out a breath. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah?" Rory's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah," he nodded apologetically.

"So you're done being a jerk?"

"Yeah. I'm done."

"Good," Rory smiled.

"So, do you still want that upside-down tequila slammer?" Marty asked, smiling back nervously.

"With a twist," she confirmed.

"Right. Probably has tequila in it," he chuckled and reached for the bottle.

"You would think," Rory shrugged.

"Um, okay," he looked around the counter, formulating a plan. "The upside-down part, I'll have to improvise. But the slammer and the twist are pretty straightforward. You might want to step back."

"Oh, okay," Rory nodded and stepped away, still smiling.

As Marty put the drink together, Rory turned to look around at the crowd, only to find them all standing in a circle around Paris and Doyle while they danced, cheering them on.

"Now that's something I thought I'd never see," Marty frowned at the scene in front of them.

"Yeah, it's pretty disturbing," Rory agreed. "But at least it's an improvement from earlier this week. There was a lot more gyrating then."

"Gah!" Marty cringed and started rubbing his eyes. "Please God get that image out of my head!"

"It was worse than you're imagining," she assured him.

As the night wore on, Rory mingled with just about everyone and was deemed Olivia's wing man when Lucy was too wasted to do the job. Throughout the evening, Marty kept them going with a steady flow of upside-down slammers, resulting in an entertaining night. It was almost midnight when she and Olivia finally scored a spot on the couch.

"How is she still dancing?!" Rory asked as they sat.

"Paris?" Olivia asked.

"No, Lucy!" Rory corrected. "Paris I understand- she's been training for this like it's an Olympic event. But Lucy weighs 11 pounds, and I'm pretty sure most of that is tequila at this point!"

"The girl loves to move," Olivia laughed.

"I guess," Rory sighed and did a once over of the room. "Oh! Buzz-cut boy is on the move again."

"Mmm! I'm going in," Olivia jumped to her feet. "I've got time for one or two more awkward interactions tonight."

Rory laughed as she watched her friend dance across the room. Just as Olivia made it to the boy in question, Marty dropped onto the couch beside her, pulling her attention away.

"The bar is closed!" He announced.

"You finally quit?" Rory turned to face him.

"Nope, just ran out of booze."

"I think I drank most of it," Rory admitted. "That upside-down twisted slammer was living up to its name, my friend. I don't know if I'm more twisted or slammed."

"I'm both," Marty decided. "I think I had three of them. Or was it four?"

"You know, the last time I saw you this drunk, you were passed out and naked outside my dorm room," Rory reminisced happily.

"So the truth comes out!" Marty pointed an accusing finger. "After all these years, you finally admit it. You checked me out that night."

"I did not!" Rory shook her head aggressively. "No, it was uncomfortable and weird."

"Well it's for the best," Marty shrugged. "I was quite the scrawny freshman. I think I actually weighed 98 pounds. But, you know, now..."

"Oh, you've been working out?" Rory laughed.

"Can't you tell? I'm huge. I'm massive!" He flexed his arms proudly. "I'm Marty Schwarzenegger."

"I can tell. You're looking good," Rory finally conceded.

"And you're more beautiful than ever."

Rory froze, an uncomfortable silence falling over them as she tried to figure out where to go from his comment, until Lucy suddenly joined them.

"Hi!" She squealed, bouncing around.

Marty jumped up and pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly, leaving Rory slightly annoyed and very confused.

Everyone cleared out around three in the morning, and Lucy and Olivia insisted that Rory go home and leave the cleaning up to them.

"We'll deal with it tomorrow," Olivia waved her off.

"Yeah, no cleaning on birthdays!" Lucy slurred angrily as she hung off of Marty's arm.

"Get her to bed," Rory laughed.

"Will do," Marty saluted. "See you later."

"Bye!" Lucy waved dramatically as Marty pulled her away, Olivia following behind them.

"Bye," Rory laughed and stumbled outside to get in the cab Paris and Doyle had called.

As they drove home, Rory pulled out her phone for the first time all night and found that she had five missed calls from Jess, as well as two from her mother. In a panic, she dialled Jess's number and prayed that he would pick up.

"Hello?" Jess answered groggily.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rory demanded.

"What? Nothing's wrong."

"Then why do I have all these missed calls from you?"

"Oh!" Jess suddenly seemed to realize what she was talking about. "My mom went into labour. She had the baby."

"She did!?" Rory gasped excitedly. "Aw! You're a big brother!"

"You're drunk, aren't you?" he laughed.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you just cooed about my being a big brother. Good party?"

"Really good," she assured him. "But that's not what we're talking about right now. Liz had the baby!"

"She did," Jess confirmed. "It's a girl."

"What did they name her?"

"Doula."

"What?" Rory was sure she had heard him wrong, but he just laughed.

"Doula," he repeated.

"Like the birth coach thing?" Rory confirmed.

"Exactly like that."

"Well, that's..."

"Weird?" Jess supplied.

"So weird!" She agreed. "Seriously? _That's_ what they put on the birth certificate?"

"Yep. Despite multiple attempts to talk them out of it."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but your mother is insane," Rory frowned.

"I'm well aware," Jess assured her. "But yours isn't much better."

"Fair enough."

"So, now that you woke me up, tell me about the party."

Rory proceeded to relate her entire night, getting progressively drunker the longer she talked, resulting in a very garbled explanation of events, which Jess was thoroughly entertained by.

She didn't remember any of her explanation the next morning, however, when she woke up with the worst hangover she'd had in a while.

Jess did nothing to help this situation when he called her as soon as he woke up and screamed 'Good Morning, Vietnam!' in her ear as soon as she answered.

"Gah!" She winced and fell out of bed in an attempt to get away from the noise. "What is wrong with you!"

"Nothing's wrong with me," he answered innocently. "You, however, probably have a pretty bad headache. Am I right?"

"You're evil, is what you are," Rory growled. "What do you want?"

"I was just calling to say good morning, and to remind you that Liz had her baby."

"Right," Rory nodded, a vague memory surfacing. "Baby. It has a weird name, doesn't it?"

"Doula," Jess confirmed. "And I thought you said we weren't allowed to call it an it."

"Give me a break, it's nine in the morning and I'm hungover."

"Alright. Well, when you're not as hungover, are you going to come down and meet her?"

"If you want me to."

"Of course I want you too," Jess assured her. "You're my girlfriend, she's my half-sister. It seems like something important."

"It is," Rory chuckled. "Alright, I'll shower and drink a pot of coffee, then I'll head over."

"Okay, I'll see you soon."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

Rory pulled up in front of the diner right before the lunch rush started and scored herself a seat at the counter, right by the coffee pot.

"You look good," Luke observed sarcastically as she sat down.

"Gee, thanks. Can I have some coffee, please?"

"How much have you had today?"

"Luke, look at my face," Rory growled. "Does this look like the face of a person who should be denied coffee?"

The diner owner seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded and passed her a mug.

"So, what's causing the face?"

"Lucy's birthday party," Rory groaned and put her head on the counter.

"Ah," Luke nodded understandingly. "So you'll be needing pancakes?"

"You're a good Dad," Rory smiled up at him.

"Thanks," Luke chuckled and filled her mug again before heading into the kitchen.

Once he was gone, Rory put her head back down on the counter and tried to keep an ear out for Jess, who she was sure would take the opportunity to scream in her ear again if she gave it to him.

Unfortunately, she didn't account for her mother's imminent arrival and was punished for her lack of vigilance when the older woman suddenly screeched in her ear.

"God!" Rory jumped about a foot in the air. "What is wrong with you people!"

"You people?"

"You and Jess!" Rory explained, rubbing her temples. "The world doesn't come to an end if you pity the hungover."

"Maybe not, but we can't take that chance. So I guess the party was good."

"Yeah, it was," Rory nodded. "Right up until the part when I think Marty flirted with me."

"What?" Lorelai frowned. "Rewind for me. Last time I checked, you guys were barely talking."

"We sorted out our differences at the party. I called him out for being a jerk, he apologized and we fell back into our old habits and everything was fine. And then we finished up at least half of the bar, and he told me I was beautiful."

"Ooh," Lorelai cringed. "That's not good."

"That's what I thought," Rory agreed. "But I really don't want to think about it anymore, because thinking about it makes my head hurt and my head hurts enough as it is."

"Maybe this will help," Luke returned with her pancakes.

"Thank you," Rory sighed happily and dug into the plate. "So Jess tells me you're an uncle again."

"Yeah, he is!" Lorelai beamed. "And I'm an Aunty!"

"When I call you that, you run away with your hand over your ears," Jess recalled, suddenly appearing behind the counter.

"That's because when you do it, it's creepy," Lorelai explained. "When Doula does it, it will be adorable."

"Whatever," Jess leaned over the counter and kissed his girlfriend. "Hi."

"I'm still mad at you," Rory scowled at him.

"That's okay. You want some more coffee?"

"Please," she nodded enthusiastically.

"I've gotta go," Luke told Lorelai as he stepped out from behind the counter. "I'm meeting Anna in half an hour."

"Okay," she got up and kissed him. "Good luck, Hon."

"Thanks. Caesar, I'm leaving!"

The cook yelled back in acknowledgement, and Luke headed for the door.

"He's meeting Anna?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, he's going to try and talk her into letting April stay with us until the end of the school year," Lorelai nodded. "She's really upset about having to just drop her entire life and go."

"I would be too," Rory sympathized. "That would totally suck."

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded. "Plus, Luke is pretty upset about the thought of losing her. I mean, he's barely had a chance to get to know her."

"I would hate to be in his place right now," Rory shook her head. "Or yours."

"I'm okay," Lorelai assured her. "I've got my kid right here."

Rory smiled and put her head on her mother's shoulder like she used to when she was a kid.

"Geez, Kid!" Lorelai pushed her away. "You've got tequila practically oozing from your pores."

"Yeah, I know," Rory cringed. "That's what I get for drinking 6 upside-down twisted slammers."

"What?" Jess frowned at her.

"The new drink Marty invented for me last night," Rory explained. "Super tasty, but incredibly potent."

"Obviously," he chuckled. "Does that mean you and Marty are on better terms now?"

"Not so much," Rory frowned. "I'll explain on the way to your mom's. You want to go now?"

"Sure," Jess shrugged.

Childbirth seemed to have taken nothing out of Liz. She spent the entire time they were there gushing about one thing or another, covering everything from Jess's being late for his sister's birth, to his inability to call her on a regular basis, to how much she loved Rory, to all the bodily functions Doula had performed in the last 12 hours. Her incessant talking made it impossible for Jess and Rory to make a quick getaway, but Rory didn't mind. She spent almost their entire visit cuddling with the newborn, and the time that she wasn't cuddling the baby, she was watching Jess cuddle her, which was almost better. When they finally got a chance to make their escape, Rory wasted no time dragging Jess up to the apartment above the diner and taking him to bed.

"Okay, not that I'm complaining," he said breathlessly. "But what was that?"

"What was what?" Rory asked, turning to face him.

"Well, you just jumped me. Again, not that I'm complaining," he assured her. "You just usually don't drag me to bed in the middle of the afternoon."

"I haven't seen you in three weeks. I have needs, Jess."

"Well, sure," he nodded. "But that's not what that was."

"Oh, no?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you enlighten me, then."

"You saw me holding the baby, and you thought it was hot."

"Her name is Doula, you should really start calling her that."

"You're avoiding my observation," Jess poked her. "Come on, admit it. You think it's hot that I'm good with babies."

"Very hot," Rory nodded and straddled his waist.

"Do you want one of those one day?" Jess asked, putting his hands on her hips and rubbing his thumbs back and forth.

"What, a baby?" Rory asked, a 'deer-in-the-headlights' look crossing her face.

"Not anytime soon," Jess laughed. "Just, sometime."

"Do you want one?" Rory countered.

"Maybe," Jess admitted. "If I found the right person."

"And who would that person be?"

"You," he sat up and kissed her. "So? What do you think?"

"I think..." Rory bit her lip. "I think that one day, when I've finished school and settled into my career, I wouldn't mind having one... or two."

"Two?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

"I would feel bad making my kid live the life of an only child," she frowned. "Wouldn't you?"

"Probably. So two," Jess nodded. "On one condition."

"What's that?"

"They have to have your eyes."

Rory smirked and leaned down to kiss him. "I'll do my best."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

"So she just slammed the door in his face?" Rory asked as her mother told her about Luke's late night visit to Anna's house later that week. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Lorelai confirmed. "And then April was supposed to come over the next night so they could go to the movies, and she didn't show. So Luke called to make sure she was okay and Anna announced that she wasn't comfortable letting April spend time with him after he threatened her."

"So she's just not letting him see his kid?" Rory demanded. "That's terrible!"

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "So Liz and I have been talking to him, and we've convinced him to go talk to a custody lawyer."

"Wow, so this really is serious. Luke hates lawyers."

"He says if this is the only way to get April, then he'll do it."

"He's a good Dad," Rory sighed.

"Yeah, he is," Lorelai agreed. "Okay, enough custody battle talk, it's making me sad. Tell me something happy."

"Um... Jess is coming to visit me for a couple days this week," Rory offered.

"Fun!"

"Yeah, he's doing a signing in Hartford and he's coming down a couple days early to spend time with me."

"And is he actually going to stay in your apartment?"

"He is."

"How'd you get him to agree to that?" Lorelai gasped. "Or do I not want to know?"

"Don't be gross!"

"I'm not being gross!" Lorelai denied the accusation. "I'm just saying, maybe you used some sort of CIA torture methods and I'm going to want plausible deniability when Jess presses charges."

"Uh-huh. Well, you can rest easy, there were no secret torture methods. I just promised him he could stick a chair under the doorknob so Paris can't get in."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you don't do that anyways."

"I like to live on the edge," Rory shrugged. "The not knowing whether or not I'll wake up with a knife to my throat keeps me on my toes."

"Because that's what every mother wants to hear come out of her daughter's mouth. So when does the hoodlum get in?"

"Tomorrow. He's meeting me for lunch after my Women's Studies class."

"You gonna make him eat it in the dining hall?"

"Absolutely."

"Excellent," Lorelai smiled evilly. "It'll be nice not to be the only one forced to eat there."

"Well you know me, I'm all about equality," Rory shrugged. "How's Doula?"

"She's just as adorable as the last time you saw her," Lorelai gushed. "She looks just like TJ, which terrifies Luke, and I've been trying to teach her how to be a pickpocket since she has such long fingers."

"Nice," Rory nodded appreciatively.

"I thought so. Liz actually dropped her at the diner yesterday because she needed an hour to herself, and you should have seen the panicked look on Luke's face when I had to leave."

"Aw, you left the poor guy alone with a newborn?" Rory gasped. "That's so mean!"

"He was fine!" Lorelai waved off her disapproval. "He needed to know that he could watch the baby on his own. I was just helping him realize his full potential."

"And I'm sure he saw it that way too," Rory rolled her eyes.

"Well, not at the time, but he does now and he's very grateful."

"Sure," Rory laughed.

"Oh, speak of the devil. Luke just got home," Lorelai informed her daughter. "I have to go, I told him I'd go meet this lawyer with him."

"Okay, well wish him luck for me," Rory told her. "And tell him I'm here for anything you guys need."

"Will do, bye Hon."

"Bye!"

When Jess met her after her lecture the next day, Rory was exhausted. She had spent the whole night worrying about how Luke's meeting with the lawyer had gone, and on top of that, both of the classes she'd been to that morning were so boring she had been stuffing herself with Milk Duds just to stay awake. She could have jumped Jess right then and there when she walked out of the building and saw him holding two coffee cups.

"You're like an angel," she gushed when he handed her a cup.

"Tired?" he laughed.

"Exhausted," Rory sighed and started gulping down the coffee.

"You're going to give yourself an ulcer," Jess shook his head disapprovingly.

"No I'm not. We're going to get lunch and it'll be fine."

"If you say so," he shrugged. "So, where are we eating?"

"You're in for a real treat," Rory smirked, linking her arm through his. "Because I have an extra family pass from parent's weekend that I need to use, so you're going to get your first Yale Dining Hall meal."

"Oh boy," Jess grimaced.

"Yeah," Rory beamed up at him. "Come on."

They had just gotten their food and were looking for a table when Rory noticed Lucy across the room.

"Lucy!"

"HI!" Lucy bounced over and looked Jess up and down. "You must be Rory's imaginary boyfriend."

"I told you he was real!" Rory stuck her tongue out at the girl. "Lucy, this is Jess. Jess, Lucy."

"Hi," Jess shook her hand.

"Hi. I would give you a proper hug, but my pockets are full of Apple Jacks," she explained. "I have art history in a few minutes and my professor sounds like Garrison Keillor on Quaalude's, so I need a constant intake of sugar just to stay awake."

"I had a couple of those this morning," Rory nodded appreciatively. "But my sugar of choice was Milk Duds."

"Oh! Good idea!" Lucy looked thoughtful. "Maybe I'll take those next week. So, what are you guys doing here?"

"I'm treating Jess to his first Branford dining hall meal."

"Did you make him get the meatloaf?"

"No," Rory laughed. "I took pity."

"You're lucky," Lucy turned back to Jess.

"I wish I believed you," Jess frowned at the chicken he had been served. "But it's good to know it could be worse."

"So congratulations on your new book," Lucy offered. "I hear it's the next great American novel."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, but thanks."

"It's too bad you have a class," Rory frowned. "You could have eaten with us."

"Sad," Lucy deflated slightly. "Hey, why don't we have dinner? I have a lecture tonight, but what about tomorrow?"

"Sure," Rory nodded, looking at Jess for confirmation.

"Fun!" Lucy jumped up and down excitedly. "We'll have to go to Panchali's. It's this new Indian restaurant right off campus. It's awesome, and my hand to God, no matter how much you order, you can't spend more than 7 bucks."

"Awesome," Rory beamed.

"Hey, Babe!" Marty suddenly appeared in the doorway a few feet away. "Come on!"

"Boyfriend!" Lucy turned and waved him over excitedly. "Boyfriend, this is Rory's imaginary boyfriend, Jess."

"Marty," he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Jess returned the gesture.

"We should go," Marty turned back to Lucy. "I need to stop by the library before class."

"Right," Lucy nodded. "Okay. We'll see you tomorrow for Basmati and Vindaloo."

"Bye," Rory laughed at her friends sad attempt at an Indian accent, then led Jess to a table.

"So Marty's still pulling the whole, never met you thing?" Jess asked as they ate.

"Yeah," Rory sighed. "And I want to tell her the truth, I just don't know how to even bring it up. I mean, what am I supposed to say? 'Hey, so I know we made out like we didn't know each other, but your boyfriend and I were actually really close friends back in freshman and sophomore year until he announced that he had feelings for me and I started dating Logan Huntzberger. Sorry.' I mean, who does that?!"

"Bad friends," a girl's voice suddenly came from behind Rory, making her spin around.

"Olivia!" She gasped. "What-"

"What do you mean, you and Marty were friends?" Olivia demanded, arms crossed angrily.

"Olivia, it was a long time ago," Rory got to her feet and tried to explain.

"And you didn't think to tell us? What the hell is that about? Why would you hide that?!"

"I just," Rory floundered, trying to find the right words to explain herself. "Marty came over that day and he pretended that he didn't know who I was and I was just so thrown off that I didn't correct him and then it was just so weird-"

"That's not an excuse," Olivia interrupted. "I thought you were our friend. Obviously I was wrong."

She shook her head disappointedly, then turned and stormed away, ignoring Rory's attempts to stop her.

"Damn it!" Rory cried dropping back into her chair.

"I'm sorry," Jess cringed.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I was stupid," Rory shook her head. "I never should have let it go this far. God, she's going to hate me!"

"She won't," Jess tried to reassure her.

"Yes, she will. And I deserve it. I did a terrible thing."

"You weren't the only one that did it," Jess shook his head. "Marty is just as much to blame, if not more so."

"How do you figure that?"

"He's her boyfriend," Jess reasoned.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"That holds a far higher quotient for honesty and full disclosure. You've been friends with her for, what? A couple months?"

"Give or take," Rory nodded.

"Right. She's been with Marty for a while, from what you've told me. You don't think it was _his_ place to tell her about your past?"

"But I'm her friend," Rory kept arguing.

"Sure," Jess agreed. "And that's important. But not as important as being her boyfriend."

"I guess," Rory sighed. "I just don't want her to hate me. I really like her and Olivia."

"They won't hate you," Jess promised again. "Just give them time to cool off and then try to explain yourself again."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Jess nodded. "Besides, it's practically impossible to hate you. You're Rory Gilmore."

"Paris did a pretty good job of it," Rory offered.

"That's because Paris is part cyborg," Jess joked. " _Normal people_ have a very hard time hating you."

Rory didn't seem overly convinced, as she put her head down on the table and let out a muffled scream.

"It'll be okay," Jess reached across the table and patted her hand. When she didn't answer, he decided to change the subject. "Did you hear how Luke's meeting with the lawyer went yesterday?"

"No," she sat up immediately. "Have you talked to him?"

"Yeah, we talked this morning."

"And?"

"He's suing Anna for partial custody."

"Wow. That's big."

"Yeah," Jess nodded. "It sounds like the lawyer isn't optimistic, but they're going to do the best they can."

"I hope it works out," Rory frowned. "I really like April and I know how much she means to Luke."

"Yeah. I told him we'd help him out however we can."

"Absolutely!" Rory agreed.

That night, Jess joined Rory and Lorelai for Friday Night Dinner in an attempt to keep Rory's spirits up. She had been upset about what had happened with Olivia all afternoon, and it had only gotten worse when Lucy had texted to cancel their dinner plans the next night.

"Are you okay?" Lorelai whispered while they were eating dinner, noting how quiet her daughter was being.

"Fine," Rory nodded, but didn't look up from her plate.

When Lorelai turned to Jess for some sort of explanation, he just shook his head slightly, hoping she would change the subject.

"So, Jess," Richard saved him. "I was out for lunch with a client the other day, and I wandered into a bookstore on the way back to my office and you'll never guess what I found."

"What?" Jess turned to the older man.

"Right smack dab in the centre of the store, with the owner's recommendation sticker on the cover, was a copy of your latest book," Richard grinned proudly.

"You don't say," Jess pretended to look surprised.

"What store was it, Dad?" Lorelai asked.

"I can't remember the name," he frowned. "But it was owned by a gentleman with long hair, and a rather lax attitude towards personal grooming."

"Ah, Greg," Jess nodded. "Yeah, he's been supporting me since I first got started. He was one of the only people who would take on The Subsect when it was first published."

"Well, despite his personal appearance, I have to admit he is a very well-educated man," Richard continued. "We had a very interesting conversation about the merits of Christopher Marlowe versus Arthur Miller."

"That's an interesting comparison," Rory frowned.

"I thought so too," her grandfather agreed. "But we had a very interesting discussion about it, and I daresay I would return to the store if I had the chance."

"Well Greg is always up for a good literary discussion," Jess nodded.

"Any discussion, really," Rory interjected. "Greg just likes to talk."

When dinner was over, Rory insisted on going back to campus to try and talk to Lucy and Olivia again. When Olivia answered the door, however, it was very clear that she wasn't welcome.

"Can I just talk to Lucy?" Rory pleaded. "If I can just explain-"

"She doesn't want to talk to you," Olivia shook her head. "And honestly, neither do I."

Before Rory could say another word, Olivia shut the door in her face, leaving Rory alone in the empty corridor, tears filling her eyes. When she made it back out to the car, she broke down sobbing.

"Rory," Jess reached over to try and comfort her, but she pushed his hands away.

"Just drive," she choked out. "Please."


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

The weeks leading up to Christmas were lonely, to say the least. Rory had thrown herself into her schoolwork, barely coming up for air unless she was dragged away from it by her mother.

Jess had been stuck at Truncheon since his visit in November, when Rory and Lucy had had their falling out, and the time apart was starting to get to him. He knew she was upset about the situation with Lucy and Olivia, he could tell by how withdrawn she was during their nightly phone calls, but there was nothing he could do to make her feel better.

Lorelai had been trying her best to brighten her daughter's mood, but she was busy helping Luke prepare his court case and didn't have much time to get out to Yale herself.

Paris, to her credit, had offered her sympathies and told Rory how stupid she thought Lucy was being.

"She would be lucky to have a friend like you," she had announced one night when Rory had been particularly down. "From where I'm standing, it's _her_ loss, not yours."

Rory had appreciated the sentiment, but it hadn't done much to relieve the awful feeling of betrayal that had been consuming her every waking hour.

By the time Christmas rolled around, Rory was completely exhausted- physically, mentally and emotionally- and the usually happy time of year was doing nothing to raise her spirits.

Jess arrived in Stars Hollow just in time for the annual Gilmore Christmas Party, which was being held later than usual to accommodate everyone's schedules, but Rory was still wary about attending.

"Rory, I'm serious!" Lorelai scolded her. "If you make me go to this thing alone, you will regret it."

"You're not going to be alone," Rory argued. "Luke is going to be there."

"Luke doesn't know any of those people!"

"Neither do I!"

"But you see them every year," Lorelai reasoned. "You can fake knowing them and then I don't have to introduce them."

"You'll still have to introduce them to Luke."

"Rory!" Lorelai cried. "You have to come! If not for me, for the fact that if you're not there, your grandmother will leave her own party so she can come beat you to death and drag your lifeless body back there. Got it?"

"Fine," Rory had finally agreed. "But if there's no apple tarts, I'm bailing."

"I'm with you there."

"Okay, here's the plan," Lorelai pulled everyone into a corner as soon as they had walked into the house. "We stay together. No wandering off, no lagging behind."

"I think you're being a little dramatic," Jess frowned.

"She's really not," Rory shook her head. "You do not want to be alone in this place. If you stray from the herd, you get eaten.

"It's not the Savannah," he rolled his eyes.

"It's damn close," Lorelai assured him. "Now, we stay together, no wandering off and stick close to the bar. I highly recommend making friends with the bartenders, you'll be spending a lot of time with them."

"Do we have a jump time?" Rory asked. "Because I was thinking 8."

"Too early," Lorelai shook her head. "They'll notice we're gone. We have to wait until the final round of appetizers leaves the kitchen around 9."

"Do we really have to stay that late?" Rory groaned.

"Rory, you know how this works," Lorelai shrugged. "I am, however, willing to allow for a mysterious group disappearance around 8:30, at which point we take our food and drinks and hide in one of the guest rooms."

"Why not hide in your rooms?" Jess asked.

"Too easy," Luke explained. "They'll find us within minutes. If we choose an empty guest room, they'll give up before they find us."

"Okay," he sighed. "Whatever you say."

"Ha, now you're getting it!" Lorelai smiled at him. "Now, where is the bar?"

"We decided not to have a bar this year," Emily Gilmore suddenly appeared behind them. "When exactly were you planning to come and say hello?"

"What do you mean there's no bar?" Lorelai gawked at her mother.

"The waiters are taking around champagne, and we decided that was all we would have."

"And you think that's smart?"

"Hi, Grandma," Rory stepped in front of her mother. "How are you?"

"I'm quite well, thank you Rory. Hello Jess."

"Mrs. Gilmore," Jess nodded.

"Luke, I thought you might bring your daughter."

"Oh, uh, I don't have her for the holidays," he evaded the question. "But she appreciated the invitation."

"Next year," Emily smiled. "Well, I have to go greet the rest of my guests. I'll see the four of you later."

"Bye Mom," Lorelai waved, then turned to her daughter in a panic. "There's no bar."

"We'll get you some champagne," Rory patted her hand comfortingly.

"Okay, but that's not going to do it."

"Come on," Luke put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into the room. "We'll get you a tart and you'll feel better."

"They're not that magical," Lorelai shook her head.

"Come on," Luke repeated.

"What is it with the two of you and these tarts?" Jess asked his girlfriend as they followed the older couple through the house.

"They are the only happy childhood memory I have from this house," Rory explained. "When I was a kid and we had to come here for the holidays, I had to wear the stupid dresses that were itchy and uncomfortable and I wasn't allowed to run around and everyone looked at us funny, but at least there were apple tarts."

"That's really sad," Jess frowned.

"I know," Rory shrugged. "At least it's not like that anymore, though."

They mingled for an hour, Rory and Lorelai running interference each time someone asked a prying question and skillfully hiding from the D.A.R members that seemed to be following Rory everywhere... and then the champagne ran out.

Emily was running around, yelling at the staff for being so incompetent, while her guests murmured about the impropriety of the whole thing and Lorelai had to be stopped from drinking out of abandoned champagne glasses.

"Okay, that's it!" Rory wrenched the third half-drunk glass from her mother's hand and turned to the rest of the group. "Let's go."

She grabbed her mother and boyfriend and pulled them through the crowd, towards the stairs.

"Okay, Mom, you and Luke go upstairs to the third floor guest room," she ordered. "Jess and I are going to go find the missing drink carts."

"God, I love you so much!" Lorelai beamed at her daughter. "You're such a good provider."

"Yeah, I know," Rory rolled her eyes. "Go hide."

Lorelai didn't waste any time making a run for it, Luke hot on her heels.

"Isn't this breaking one of your rules?" Jess asked as they weaved their way back through the crowd.

"It's for a good cause," Rory shrugged. "Come on."

"You seem to know where you're going."

"This isn't my first time. Although during previous expeditions like this it was a drunk Australian that was in charge of finding the booze."

"Well they're notoriously well-known for their ability to sniff out alcohol," Jess nodded as they came to a stop in front of Richard's office.

Rory tried the door, found it locked and frowned.

"Plan B?" Jess asked.

"Ye of little faith," she smirked and pulled a bobby pin from her hair. "I learned many things hanging out with drunk Australians."

"You're bluffing," he scoffed.

Rory quirked an eyebrow, smirked and crouched down in front of the lock. "Hide me."

Jess watched in awe, completely shocked by his girlfriend's hidden skill.

In just a few seconds, she had the door unlocked, a victorious grin on her face.

"You've been holding out on me, Gilmore."

"You don't know everything about me," she smirked and cracked the door open, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

Jess pulled her inside, closing the door quickly and pinning her against it.

"Got to tell you, Gilmore," he kissed her neck. "That was pretty hot. Got any other tricks up your sleeve?"

"Maybe," she grinned. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Jess groaned and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Come on," Rory laughed. "Let's get some liquid courage and go find Mom and Luke."

" _Or_ we could stay here," Jess countered.

"Come on," Rory pushed him off of her and walked over to the drink cart. "How are we feeling tonight? Gin? Tequila? Vodka?"

"I could definitely go for some tequila," Jess huffed. "And a cold shower."

"Thank you for sharing," Rory shook her head and handed him a bottle, then grabbed another for herself. "Alright, let's go."

"How do you plan on getting these past your grandmother?" Jess frowned.

"With great skill and finesse. Come on."

She tucked the bottle of vodka she was carrying into the folds of her skirt and stuck her head back out the door to make sure there was no one around.

"Come on," she nodded to Jess and headed back into the party while Jess watched her.

"We come bearing gifts," Rory announced when they entered the bedroom a few minutes later.

"Took you long enough!" Lorelai jumped to her feet and snatched the bottle Rory was carrying out of her hands.

"Okay, you can't be that desperate," Luke shook his head at his wife.

"Does this look like the face of someone who should be questioned?" she snapped, a hysterical look in her eyes.

"Take a drink and calm down," Rory patted her mother's arm. "What's your poison? Tequila or vodka?"

"Whatever is in my hand now," Lorelai twisted off the cap and took a swig. "Ah, tasty!"

"You have a problem," Luke shook his head.

"Only at my mother's house," she shrugged and looked around the room. "God, I don't even think my mother knows this room is still here. I don't think I've been in here since I was fifteen."

"She knows," Rory assured her. "You can bet she comes up here every week with her white gloves to make sure that the maid has been in to clean."

"True," Lorelai dropped onto the bed dramatically. "I hate these stupid parties!"

"Me too," Rory nodded. "Hey, I know! Let's sneak down to your room and climb out the window."

"The last time we did that Mom served internal organs for dinner for three weeks," Lorelai frowned.

Rory cringed and gagged at the memory, making Luke laugh.

"You could always fake some sort of emergency," he offered.

"What kind of emergency is going to get all four of us out of here, no questions asked?"

"We could say my Dad's sick," Luke suggested.

"Your Dad's dead," Jess pointed out.

"They don't know that."

"Yes they do," Lorelai shook her head.

"We could say _your_ Dad is sick," Jess turned to Rory.

"Yeah, but Mom wouldn't care if he was," Rory shook her head. "That only gets you and me out. And they could call and check on him later and then we'd be screwed."

"What about Liz?" Lorelai offered. "We could tell her Doula is sick and she needs us to come back to Stars Hollow."

"All of us?" Rory frowned.

"Maybe."

"Does she even know my sister had a baby?" Luke asked.

"I- uh- well, damn it!" Lorelai huffed and flopped back into the perfectly placed pillows. "We're screwed."

"We're not screwed," Rory shook her head. "We're stuck."

"Ugh, what time is it?"

"8:15," Luke checked his watch.

"Okay, desperate times," Rory got up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Her mother got up to follow her.

"I'm going to go make myself sick, then vomit into the garbage can in the kitchen so every single person in there can vouch for me when I say I have food poisoning."

"You're such a good daughter," Lorelai put a hand to her heart. "What did I ever do to deserve a child as wonderful as you?"

"Nothing," Rory assured her. "I'm just a cosmic joke. Now, if you'll excuse me. Jess!"

"Why do I have to come?" He cringed.

"Because you're a good boyfriend and you're going to hold my hair."

"Forget it," he shook his head.

"You don't hold my daughter's hair when she gets sick?" Lorelai glared at him.

"Not when she does it on purpose."

"Fine. I'll go. Come on."

"Wuss," Rory shot a disappointed look at her boyfriend and followed her mother out of the room.

"So what do _we_ do?" Jess turned to his uncle.

"Wait five minutes, then go looking for them."

"This isn't your first rodeo, is it?" Jess laughed.

"It most definitely is not," Luke shook his head.

Their escape plan went off without a hitch, and by 8:30 they were all safely in Rory's car, on their way home.

"I have to say," Lorelai turned to her daughter, who was sitting in the backseat with her. "I think that was some of our best work."

"You mean some of _my_ best work," Rory glared. "Seeing as I'm the one that had to puke their guts out in a garbage can."

"Hey, I played the role of concerned mother perfectly!"

"Which takes no effort whatsoever," Rory rolled her eyes. "And on top of that, Grandma's not going to spend the next two months making subtle hints about _you_ being pregnant."

"She thinks you're pregnant?" Luke asked, turning around.

"It's the immediate conclusion when any woman in this family throws up," Lorelai shrugged. "But for the life of me I don't know why."

"Uh huh," Rory frowned at her mother. "I just hope you realize how big you owe me now."

"I'll get you something really nice for Christmas," Lorelai promised.

"Speaking of Christmas presents," Rory leaned forward into the front seat to talk to Luke. "Should I be expecting my 'World's Best Step-Daughter' trophy for Christmas?"

"Sure," Luke nodded, obviously lying.

"You realize that I will keep bugging you about this until I get one, right?"

"I'm sure you'll get distracted at some point," Luke shook his head. "Something shiny or sparkly will come along and you'll forget all about it."

"You're thinking of Mom," Rory shook her head. "I have an excellent memory, and amazing focus. I never forget."

"She's like an elephant," Lorelai agreed.

Jess started to say something, but quickly snapped his mouth shut.

"Good choice," Rory reached forward and patted his cheek a little harder than he felt was necessary.

"I love you," Jess offered quickly, making Luke and Lorelai laugh.

"You're whipped," Lorelai mocked, attempting to make her own sound effects and failing horribly, making her daughter laugh.

"I wouldn't say whipped," Jess shook his head. "I just know my odds of survival in moments like this one."

"Whether or not you respect those odds is a different matter," Rory pointed out.

"Sometimes the abuse that follows is worth it," he shrugged.

"Good to know," Rory pursed her lips.

"Ooh!" Lorelai laughed. "You're in trouble."

Jess chanced a look over his shoulder and cringed at the look on her face, making his uncle laugh.

"Welcome to the club," he patted his nephew's arm.

"I don't like clubs," Jess muttered.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

As Christmas got closer, Luke seemed to be getting more bummed out. Anna was refusing to let him see April until the court case was settled and he was blatantly upset. Rory, Jess and Lorelai were all doing their best to keep his spirits up, but nothing seemed to be working.

The date for the custody trial had been set for just after Christmas and Lorelai was supposed to be writing a character reference for Luke, a task which she had tried to pass off on Rory since the day after Luke asked her.

"This is going to kill me!" Lorelai cried.

She was sitting in the kitchen, eating sugar cookies and fiddling with her pen while Rory strung popcorn and cranberries together for the trees.

"Just write from the heart," Rory offered. "Just sit and write whatever pops into your head."

"That's what I thought would work," her mother agreed. "I thought I would just sit and let all the love I have flow onto the paper and it would be done. What I seemed to forget, however, is that I am a very strange person and beyond all the love I've got, it's a big bag of weird up there."

"It can't be that bad," Rory rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, have you not been paying attention for the last twenty years?" Lorelai frowned. "People refer to me as crazy for a reason, and when I put pen to paper and just write what pops into my head, it becomes even more obvious. 'I'm writing a letter, I can't write a letter. Why can't I write a letter? I'm wearing a green dress. I wish I was wearing my blue dress. My blue dress is at the cleaners. The Germans wore grey, you wore blue. Casablanca. Casablanca is such a good movie. Casablanca, the white house, Bush. Why don't I drive a hybrid car? I should really drive a hybrid car. I should take my bicycle to work. Bicycle, unicycle, unitard, hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants."

Rory watched with amusement as her mother recited her thought process. "Hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants?"

"Exactly," Lorelai nodded. "It's a scary jungle of random, wild gibberish up there. So then I think I need inspiration. You know, a muse. Perhaps I need The Muse. Maybe it would help if Sharon Stone would appear to me in an alarming caftan and coo inspirational words in my ear."

"I don't think that would help," Rory shook her head. "But it does give me an idea!"

"My babbling about Sharon Stone gave you an idea?" Lorelai frowned at her daughter. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Not the Sharon Stone babbling, the letter writing babbling," Rory clarified. "I'm going to write a letter to Lucy, explaining everything. That way she doesn't have to see me, but at least I'll get to tell her my side of things."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Lorelai reached over and squeezed her arm. "While you're doing that, do you want to write my letter too?"

"Not a chance," Rory got up from the table.

"Hey, where are you going!?"

"I have some last minute Christmas shopping to do."

"I'll come with you," Lorelai jumped to her feet.

"No," Rory shook her head. "You need to write your letter."

"I need a break!" Lorelai complained. "I need inspiration."

"And you think you're going to find that inspiration at the mall?" Rory crossed her arms.

"You never know where inspiration might spark," Lorelai smirked. "Come on."

On their way, they stopped at Luke's and found Lane stomping around and yelling at the customer's.

"Hey, Hon, you keep going like that and Luke'll have to find a new thing," Lorelai told her.

"What?" Lane snapped.

"You know, Luke's thing is being the grumpy diner owner, but you're giving him a run for his money."

"Are you trying to be funny?" Lane demanded.

"Absolutely not," Lorelai shook her head, gave her daughter a terrified look and scurried off to the safety of the counter.

"So, how have you been?" Rory asked her friend.

"Fat."

"You're not fat," Rory lied.

"I'm a beach ball with legs," Lane scoffed. "At least I think I still have legs, I can't be sure though since I haven't seen them in months. And there's no way you can convince me that I'm not."

"Well, you're carrying twins," Rory reasoned. "They take up a lot of space. And I can confirm that you do still have legs."

"They're also not supposed to be here for another five months," Lane snapped.

"Okay," Rory nodded and patted her friend's shoulder. "Well, other than your current size, how have things been?"

"I hate being pregnant."

"Good."

"And my mother won't let me eat anything! She keeps shoving vegetables and high fibre crap down my throat, and I feel like I'm seventeen again hiding candy bars in the pillow cases around the house. And now we have ants."

"I'm sorry," Rory tried to sympathize with her friend. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

"No."

"Okay, well I'm here for all your venting needs."

"Thanks," Lane sighed. "I'd better get back to work."

"Okay," Rory leaned in and hugged her. "Don't work too hard."

"I won't," Lane assured her.

Once she had moved to the other side of the diner, Lorelai returned with two take-out cups and a bag of donuts.

"Pregnant Lane is scary," she whispered.

"And I'm sure you were just an absolute _delight_ when you were pregnant," Rory countered.

"Touche."

"So, who are you shopping for?" Lorelai asked once they made it into the mall.

"Luke, Paris and April," Rory consulted her list. "I thought I'd get Luke a... something or other."

Lorelai nodded along, a thoughtful look on her face. "Sure, sure. What about Lane? She's easy to shop for."

"I know, which is why I got her present when we were in New York over the summer. I've only got the hard people left."

"What did you get me?" Lorelai asked excitedly.

"You'll find out on Christmas morning."

"Grinch," Lorelai frowned. "Okay, what about Paris? I'm sure she could do with a fancy new straitjacket."

"You know, I got her one last year," Rory frowned. "I was thinking something more along the lines of a book or something."

"Well if you want to be boring," Lorelai shrugged. "What about April?"

"I have no idea," Rory groaned. "What did you get her?"

"Some girly stuff and a gift certificate to the Discovery Store."

"Oh, that's such a good gift!"

"Well I'm trying to make a good impression," Lorelai shrugged. "New step-mom and all, plus this stupid custody battle."

"I don't think you need to make an impression," Rory chuckled. "April loves you."

"You think?"

"Definitely," Rory looped her arm through her mother's. "What's not to love?"

"Aw," Lorelai rested her head on top of Rory's. "Just for that, I'll tell you what Luke wants for Christmas."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded. "Come on."

She led her daughter through the mall to the sporting goods store, where they got a salesperson to help them find some new fishing gear.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this!" Rory cried once they had finished in the store. "It's so obvious."

"Especially when he gives you a list," Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Rory asked. "Luke doesn't seem like a Christmas list person."

"No, but I told him if he didn't give me some ideas I was going to buy him a Christmas sweater with a unicorn on it and make him wear it."

"Nice," Rory nodded approvingly at her mother's evil ways. "Okay, I need some brain food before I can tackle Paris's present. Food court?"

"Food court."

They picked up soft pretzels and smoothies, then wandered around the mall aimlessly until Rory gave up. "This is impossible! I'm never going to find something."

"Sure you will," Lorelai tried to be encouraging. "What about that collection of poems by all those crazy people?"

"Paris isn't exactly a poetry person," Rory shook her head. "I think I'll just try and get her something from the bookstore on campus. How about April?"

"Something nerdy," Lorelai offered.

"So we should go to the Discovery Store."

"Yes."

They made their way across the mall, stopping sporadically to look at whatever caught there eye in random store windows, then let the sales associate at the Discovery Store talk them into buying some sort of Geological research set.

"Okay, that's it," Rory announced when they had finished paying. "I'm done. I'll get Paris's gift another day. I need coffee."

"Weston's?" Lorelai offered.

"Candy Cane Coffee," Rory agreed, smiling blissfully. "You can work on your letter while we're there."

"But-"

"You have to write the letter," Rory cut her off.

"Fine," Lorelai huffed. "Let's go to Weston's."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two**

Christmas morning at the Gilmore-Danes house was surprisingly quiet that year. Rory and Jess had spent the night in Rory's old room, and were woken up to the smell of bacon cooking.

"Morning," Luke greeted them happily as they entered the kitchen.

"Coffee," Rory groaned.

"Just finished making a fresh pot," Luke pointed to the coffee maker.

"Fantastic." Rory poured herself a cup, added some sugar and cream and quickly finished half the mug. "Mmm. Merry Christmas," she finally smiled.

"Merry Christmas," Luke chuckled. "Bacon?"

Rory and Jess filled their plates with bacon and waffles, Luke even passed Rory a bowl of homemade whipped cream to top it all off.

"Wow, Luke," she seemed surprised. "And I always thought you looked at Christmas as nothing but a consumer based holiday that brought out the greed and anger in the population."

"I do," he assured her. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't get whipped cream."

"Ho ho ho," Rory grinned and started eating the whipped cream directly out of the bowl.

"Save some for the rest of us," Jess yanked it away from her.

"Where's Mom?" Rory suddenly realized that they were one family member short. "She's always the first one up."

"I thought I'd let her sleep," Luke shrugged. "She seemed pretty exhausted."

"Excellent," Rory smiled evilly. "For once, I get to jump on _her_ bed!"

She jumped to her feet and ran for the stairs, ignoring Luke's calls to let her mother sleep.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" She screamed, taking a running leap at her mother's bed and landing on top of her.

"Holy Mother of God!" Lorelai cried, bolting upright. "What is wrong with you?!"

"It's Christmas," Rory grinned.

"I'm going to push you down the stairs," her mother groaned.

"Not on Christmas you're not," Rory shook her head. "Come on, get up! Luke's letting us put whipped cream on our waffles."

"Seriously?" Lorelai's interest suddenly peaked.

"Seriously. And he made it himself."

"Okay, I forgive you for dive bombing my bed," Lorelai jumped out of bed and started pulling on her sweater. "Let's go."

After breakfast, which included Lorelai and Rory's signature Christmas morning M&M filled cereal, they moved into the living room and started opening presents while they watched 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. Luke was thoroughly impressed by Rory's choice of present for him, which included an array of fishing stuff that she had been told he would like, and Rory in turn couldn't stop smiling when she opened her own present to find a 'World's Greatest Step-Daughter' trophy.

"You really did it!" She jumped up and launched herself into his arms like she was five years old again.

"So you like it?" He asked as she hugged him.

"It's great! Thank you!"

"And it's not even unicorn related," Lorelai nodded approvingly. "I'm so proud."

"You didn't like the unicorn stuff I got you?" Luke asked, a dejected look coming over his face.

"It's not that I didn't like it," Rory quickly tried to explain. "It's just... I've never really been a unicorn person. But I liked that it came from you."

"I tried to tell him," Jess joined in. "But the man could not be convinced that you didn't need monogrammed unicorn towels."

"Oh, yeah!" Lorelai laughed. "I almost forgot about those! Those were hilarious."

"I thought you liked those!" Luke turned to his step-daughter. "You seemed so happy when you opened them."

"I was just trying to be nice," she bit her lip. "I loved the sentiment, though."

"So all these years, you've just been trying to be nice about my presents?"

"Kind of," Rory wrinkled her nose at him. "But you always remembered my birthdays and you didn't have to get me anything, but you always did, so I always liked them anyways."

Luke sighed dejectedly while everyone laughed.

"It was always the thought that counted," Rory hugged him again.

"Okay, enough with the mocking of Luke's previously terrible gift-giving habits. My turn!" Lorelai bounced up and down on the couch excitedly. "My present next!"

Rory picked up a glittery box from under the tree and passed it to Luke.

"Why do you insist on putting glitter on everything?" Luke cringed as he accepted the gift. "It gets everywhere."

"That's why," Lorelai beamed. "Now stop complaining and open your present."

Luke sighed exasperatedly at his wife and started to rip the paper away, grimacing every time a new layer of glitter fell into his lap.

"I'm going to be covered in glitter for weeks," he winced. "It's going to be April's birthday party all over again."

"If you don't stop fussing over the glitter, I'm going to put an entire jar of it in your laundry, and then you really will never be able to get rid of it," Lorelai threatened.

Knowing that his wife would gleefully follow through on her threat, Luke pursed his lips and went back to opening his gift.

"A spatula?" He chuckled, pulling the kitchen implement out of the box. "Thank you."

"It's engraved," Lorelai pointed out.

" _May Our Spats Always Be Diffused- L &L 06/05/2006_" Luke beamed from ear to ear and pulled her into a hug "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled back and kissed him.

"I'm sorry," Rory frowned at the two of them. "Not to break up this thoroughly nauseating love fest you're having over there, but what is so special about a spatula?"

"Or do we not want to know?" Jess added quickly.

"There is nothing dirty about it," Lorelai gave them both a disapproving look. "When we first started going out, we were having a fight about something or other, and Luke said it was a fight and I said that it wasn't a fight, it was a spat."

"And I said there was no difference between a fight and a spat," Luke cut in.

"So I said there was a huge difference between a fight and a spat, because a fight can't be diffused in the moment, but a spat can easily be diffused with the use of a spatula," Lorelai continued.

"At which point she pulled one out of the drawer and started smacking me with it, and we forgot what we were fighting about."

"Aww," Rory smiled at them. "That's so cute! Why aren't we that cute?" She smacked Jess.

"Ow!" He pushed her. "You don't know that we're not cute. Maybe I got you a present just like that."

"Did you?"

"No, but I could have," Jess challenged. "Besides, we don't do cute. You said it yourself, that was a little nauseating."

"Fair point," Rory relented, then turned to see Luke and Lorelai smiling at them. "What?"

"You're cuter than you think," Lorelai assured her.

Luke was opening the diner for dinner, so after presents and a second screening of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' he headed out, leaving the other three to continue observing the Gilmore family traditions.

"Okay, you guys can go exchange presents in privacy now, if you want," Lorelai turned to Jess and Rory once Luke was gone. "Just keep the volume of your appreciation to a minimum and be back out here in an hour so we can watch 'Die Hard'."

"So much of that sentence didn't need to be said out loud," Rory groaned. "Why must you always make things dirty."

"Because I don't sugarcoat," her mother shrugged. "I think we should just keep this stuff out in the open."

"And that's why you'd like the volume kept to a minimum?" Rory challenged.

"Just because I know and accept that it's happening, doesn't mean I want to hear it."

Throughout this debate, Jess just stared at his shoes and tried not to blush. For all his James Dean-like characteristics, Lorelai Gilmore still never failed to make him feel like an uncomfortable seventeen year old getting The Talk from his girlfriend's mother.

When Lorelai and Rory finally stopped arguing about their inability to filter, Jess pulled his girlfriend back into their room and reached under the bed.

"I checked there yesterday!" Rory cried.

"I know," he smirked. "I've been changing my hiding place every day since we got here."

"That is... a surprisingly good idea," she frowned at him.

"Thank you. So, you want to open it?"

"Yes!" Rory snatched the box from him and started to rip off the blue wrapping paper. Inside, she found a necklace box. "Wow! What a pretty box!"

"Why don't you open it, smarty pants," Jess poked her.

She smirked and lifted the lid to find a beautiful glass pendant with an excerpt from Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. Inside the pendant was a page from the book, and over the glass was written 'A heart well worth winning, and well won'.

"Jess," she gaped at the piece of jewellery. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you think so," he chuckled. "I was torn between this one and a Jane Eyre one."

"Let me guess, the other one said 'Reader, I married him'?"

"It might have," he smirked.

"This one is much better," she assured him.

"Well I know you've got a thing for Dickens," Jess joked. "So, you like it?"

"I love it," she beamed. "Thank you."

She leaned over and kissed him, trying to show him exactly how much she loved the gift.

"Okay," she finally pulled away. "My turn."

She jumped to her feet and headed for her dresser, then dropped to her knees and pulled a thin package out from underneath it.

"Very crafty," Jess nodded appreciatively at her hiding space.

"Thank you," she smirked. "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you," Jess smiled and took the package from her. Ripping off the paper, he found a beautiful leather bound notebook with the phrase 'Wherever You Are is my Home' inscribed on the front.

"Jane Eyre," he smiled. "It's beautiful."

"It's kind of the theme," Rory smiled shyly. "Open it."

Jess did as he was told and found that the journal was filled with pages of her careful handwriting, along with pictures and doodles.

"It's all of my favourite memories," she explained. "And the reasons I love you. I got the idea from a book I found one time that was supposed to be filled with things you love about your partner, but I didn't think it was all-encompassing enough. And it definitely wasn't as pretty. I kind of themed it around Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I know that's a little morbid, but they're just such great books. I mean, we're doing way better then Cathy and Heathcliff ever had a chance to, but just about everything she says about him makes me think of you-"

She babbled as he skimmed the book, smiling as he found a picture they had taken together in front of The Strand the day they had agreed to sell his book.

"I thought I should leave some space," she kept babbling as he got to the last page she had written on. "Since we've barely just started this thing. I figured there would be a lot more things I would want to add. Or that you would want to add, if you wanted. I mean, you can do whatever you want with it, it's your gift."

Jess wasn't listening to her. Instead, he was staring at the last page she had filled in. He didn't know how she had done it, but the page was covered in the most beautifully done calligraphy he had ever seen, and featured yet another quote from Jane Eyre: _And I resolved to marry you._

"Do you like it?" Rory finally asked, chewing her lip nervously.

He stared at her for a second, completely speechless, and then he had her pinned to the bed, ensuring that she knew exactly how much he liked it.

"So can I take that as a yes?" Rory giggled when they finally parted.

"I love it!" Jess kissed her again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled. "I meant it, by the way."

"Really?"

"Really," she reached up and kissed him. "Just not too soon, okay?"

"I'll wait until we're both fifty if that's what you want."

"I definitely don't want to wait that long," Rory giggled.

Before they knew it, Lorelai was knocking on the door and demanding that they join her for another movie.

"You can finish arguing about which one of you is prettier later!" She called through the door. "It's time to watch Bruce Willis save his family from German terrorists."

"We'll be there in a minute," Rory called back, resting her forehead on Jess's chest.

"Okay, but be aware that I'm timing you!"

They listened as she walked back into the living room before speaking again.

"To be continued?" Rory kissed her boyfriend one more time.

"For the next hundred years or so," he assured her.

They met Luke at the diner a few hours later to have an early dinner with Liz and TJ- much to Jess' chagrin.

"It's going to be fine," Rory laughed at him as they walked through the square.

"I know that," he grumbled.

"Then why do you look like she's marching you to your death?" Lorelai asked.

"Have you met my mother?"

"Have you met _mine_?" Lorelai challenged.

"This could get ugly," Rory stepped between them. "Let's all be friends again."

"Fine," her mother agreed.

"Okay," Jess grumbled.

"Good," Rory looped her arm through his. "Now, did you remember to put the gift we got them in the apartment above the diner?"

"Yes."

"Oh, what did you get them?" Lorelai asked excitedly.

"An indoor trampoline."

"Seriously," Lorelai looked to her daughter for confirmation.

"It's for TJ," she shrugged. "We got Liz a bunch of jewellery stuff."

"But a trampoline?"

"What you seem to be forgetting, is that my mother married a man whose singular claim to fame is his accomplishments as an Etch-A-Sketch artist," Jess explained. "He's going to think this is the greatest present ever."

"He's not wrong," Rory agreed.

Lorelai couldn't argue with their logic either, and was forced to agree herself.

"My boy!" Liz cried as soon as they walked in. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Liz," Jess hugged her. "Hey, TJ."

"Hey!" TJ beamed at them, a baby carrier strapped to his chest. "I'd hug you, but we wouldn't want to crush Doula."

"Thank God for that," Jess muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Rory, who was hugging his mother.

"Lorelai!" Liz finally turned to her sister-in-law. "I'm so happy you're here! It's so great being able to finally spend Christmas together! God, I've been waiting so long for this."

"Me too," Lorelai nodded.

After dinner, they exchanged gifts. As predicted, Liz and TJ loved the gifts Jess and Rory had gotten them, and Rory was incredibly impressed by the necklace that Liz had made for her, which she insisted was the perfect colour to bring out her eyes. When Jess and Rory finally retired to the apartment upstairs, they were well-fed and exhausted.

"Are you happy?" Rory asked as they lay on their bed.

"Very. You?"

"Definitely," she grinned. "Merry Christmas, Jess."

"Merry Christmas, Rory."


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three**

Rory and Jess left for Philly a few days after Christmas, planning to spend New Years' at the new bar with their friends. The week after that flew by quickly, and before she knew it Rory was back to Yale and Paris was having a full on meltdown about their remaining time there.

"It's insane!" Rory complained to Jess on her first night back. "The entire apartment is covered in charts and we each have these giant lists of things we need to do between now and May."

"What kind of things?"

"Everything! I don't think there is a single grant, scholarship or post-grad program that she doesn't have us applying for. On top of the extra-curricular stuff she's got planned, which includes everything from sporting events to ballets. It's madness! She has me applying for an Oceanography Fellowship!"

"You know nothing about the ocean," Jess pointed out.

" _I_ know that. _You_ know that. _Paris_ knows that, but apparently it doesn't matter."

"So what you're saying is Paris has reached a new level of crazy as yet unseen by man," Jess concluded.

"Pretty much," Rory agreed. "Also, if you don't hear from me for more than twelve hours, please send help."

"Got it," he laughed. "So beyond your crazy roommate, how was your first day back?"

"Actually, it was pretty great," she admitted. "Paris and I were in the dining hall getting dinner and arguing about Operation Finish Line and Lucy was there."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, and Paris saw her and was annoyed that I kept getting distracted so she got up, marched over to where Lucy was sitting and gave her this big long speech about how great it is to have me as a friend."

"Seriously?" Jess scoffed.

"Seriously," Rory laughed. "It was a very loving moment between the two of us, but then I had to get rid of her so Lucy and I could talk and we finally worked everything out and it's all good. It's just such a load off my mind, knowing that Lucy and I are friends again."

"I'm glad," Jess told her sincerely. "I know that it's been bothering you."

"Yeah, I feel way better now." Before she could continue explaining the rest of her day, her phone started beeping to indicate another call coming in. "Hey, Mom is on the other line. Can I call you back in a bit?"

"Sure, make sure to ask her about Luke's court case," he reminded her. "I tried to call him earlier, but there was no answer."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon." She hung up and switched to the other line. "Hey, Mom."

"You will never guess what just happened!" Lorelai cried excitedly. "Don't even try, because seriously, there's not a chance you're going to guess it."

"Okay, then why don't you tell me?" Rory laughed.

"Sookie is pregnant."

"What?!"

"Pregnant," her mother repeated gleefully.

"But I thought, after Martha was born-"

"That Jackson got a vasectomy?" Lorelai guessed. "Yeah, so did everyone else- including Sookie."

"She didn't know?"

"Nope."

"Okay, you've got to walk me through this," Rory frowned.

"Right, so Sookie showed up super early this morning with muffin tops and conned me into babysitting for her while she and Jackson went skiing today," Lorelai explained. "And I, of course, said yes because I needed something to keep my mind off of Luke's case anyways- which we haven't heard about yet-"

"Oh, okay. Because that was my next question," Rory said.

"I figured. So, back to the story. So I went and took care of Martha and Davy and they had just gone down for their naps when Sookie and Jackson came home early. And she had been kind of weird all day, like when I told her I would babysit she got all weepy and then she couldn't figure out what to wear. So when they get back, Sookie is mad because Jackson wouldn't let her ski and he spilled the drink she ordered at lunch. So she went to check on the kids and I made a sort of off-handed comment about how she hadn't acted this weird since she was pregnant with Martha, and Jackson got all squirmy all of a sudden."

"He knew?!" Rory gasped.

"He knew," Lorelai confirmed. "So we had a very quick argument about telling her and then I sent him to break the news."

"How did she take it?" Rory asked nervously.

"Really well," Lorelai said sarcastically. "She immediately dragged me on the longest, angriest walk ever and after explaining to her that she couldn't walk off a pregnancy, she cried about diapers for a few minutes. But then I started playing on her hormones and talked about when I gave you your first bath, and how great babies smell..."

"Sounds like someone else is getting baby fever," Rory observed.

"Don't be cute," Lorelai scolded. "Anyways, she finally decided that being pregnant wasn't so bad after all, and everything is good. But up until then, I was sitting on the edge of my seat."

"Me too," Rory let out a breath of relief.

"SO, what's new with you?" Lorelai changed the subject. "How was your first day back?"

"Paris has lost her mind," Rory huffed and explained her roommates latest plans to her mother, then filled her in on the Lucy situation.

"I'm glad it all worked out," Lorelai said when she had finished explaining. "I told you it would."

"I know."

"Oh, Hon, I'm gonna go," Lorelai said suddenly. "Luke just got home."

"Okay, tell him hi from me. And call as soon as you hear something, okay?"

"Will do," Lorelai agreed. "Bye, Hon."

"Bye!" Rory hung up, then called Jess back and filled him in on everything her mother had just shared, not that he was overly interested in Sookie's pregnancy, he just liked listening to her talk.

"And they still haven't heard anything?"

"Not yet," Rory shook her head. "But I made Mom promise to call as soon as they do."

"Good."

The net morning, Rory was woken up by her phone ringing. It was barely seven in the morning, but her mother was obviously bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

"He won!" She cried as soon as Rory answered.

"What?" Rory sat up sleepily.

"The court case! Luke won! We won! He has partial custody!"

"You won?!" Rory cried.

"We won!"

"That's fantastic!" Rory squealed. "Congratulations!"

"God, last night was awful," Lorelai sighed. "I don't think either one of us slept. Luke was so worried, because Anna's attorney had dug up every terrible thing he had ever done and he was sure that he was going to lose, but then we got the call a few minutes ago from his lawyer and he won!"

"That's so great," Rory said happily. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"He gets to see her at least one weekend a month, every other major holiday and one month of summer vacation."

"That's amazing," Rory gushed.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "God, it's so great! Okay, I have to go to work and Luke has to call Jess, but I just wanted to tell you right away."

"I appreciate it," Rory laughed. "I'll talk to you later."

"Later," Lorelai agreed, then hung up and left Rory to get on with her day.

When she went into the kitchen to get some coffee, she found a note from Paris asking her to meet back at the apartment for lunch so they could discuss Operation Finish Line. Rolling her eyes, Rory took her coffee and retreated back to her room to get ready for her first class.

When she came back at lunch, Paris was ready with her multicoloured sharpies and personalized itineraries. Much to her distaste, however, Rory had decided to put her foot down and drastically lower the number of projects she was willing to take on.

"There is no way I'm signing up for the LSATs," Rory crossed off another box. "I have absolutely no interest in being a lawyer."

"Just because you go to law school doesn't mean you have to be a lawyer," Paris argued. "Look at Dan Abrams, he's a journalist but because of his law degree he became the face of the Scott Peterson trial."

"I don't want to be the face of any trials," Rory shook her head. "I will also not be taking the MCATS."

"Sanjay Gupta!" Paris cried. "Senior Medical Correspondent at CNN. Right now he's got the market cornered."

"Good for Sanjay," Rory shrugged and picked up her phone, which had started to ring. "Hello?"

Paris continued to try and convince her to take stupid tests while Rory tried to listen to the person on the other end of the phone.

"Okay," she finally said. "Bye. Grab your coat."

"What?" Paris frowned.

"Grab your coat, we're going tray sledding," Rory explained. "We're going to meet Lucy and Olivia over at the dining hall, sneak out a couple trays and then go sledding down Science Hill. We can cross it off the list, come on."

"But tray sledding isn't for another few weeks," Paris argued.

"But there might not be as much snow then, and Lucy and Olivia are going today," Rory countered. "Now let's go."

"Are you sure you want me to come?"

"Paris," Rory glared at her roommate.

"Okay," she finally gave in. "Let's go."

"Hey, by the way," Rory turned to her as they put their coats on. "Thanks for saying that stuff about me in the cafeteria yesterday."

"Oh," Paris tried to sound nonchalant. "I just didn't want your juvenile hysterics to get in the way of Operation Finish Line."

"I know," Rory assured her. "It's just nice to hear sometimes."

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Paris frowned.

"I don't think so," Rory shook her head.

"Good. Ready?"

"Ready," Rory nodded. "Oh, and if you fall and break your face, as many tray sledders do, don't even worry about it cause you can spend the night in the infirmary, which is another typical college experience."

Rory grinned and skipped out the door, leaving Paris to chase after her, a terrified look on her face.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Four**

When Rory called him in the middle of the afternoon, Jess knew something was off. He practically had her schedule memorized and he knew she was supposed to be in class. His assumptions were confirmed when he heard her crying as soon as he answered.

"Rory?"

"Jess," she sobbed. "I need you to come."

"Come where?" He asked. "Rory, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"My Grandpa, he had a heart attack, we just got to the hospital," she sobbed. "Jess, I need you."

"Okay" he jumped up from his desk and jogged towards the stairs, Chris hot on his heels. "Okay, I'm coming. I'll be there soon. Have you called Lorelai?"

"She's not answering."

"Okay, did you try calling Luke?"

"No," she shook her head. "I should do that."

"Yeah. Call Luke," Jess agreed. "He'll know what to do."

"Jess, I'm scared," she whimpered, her voice barely audible.

"I know," he sighed. "But everything's going to be okay."

"What if it's not?"

"Don't think like that," Jess shook his head. "You have to stay positive."

"Okay," she sniffed. "Okay, I'll try."

"Good. I'll be there soon," Jess told her again. "And Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Jess hung up the phone and started digging around the bottom of his closet for his duffel bag, completely unaware that Chris was standing in the doorway watching him.

"What's wrong?" He demanded, startling Jess. "Where are you going?"

"Rory's grandfather had a heart attack," Jess explained. "I have to go."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know. Rory was really upset on the phone, I don't think she knows much yet. I'm sorry to have to run out on you, but-"

"No, no," Chris waved him off. "Of course you have to go. We'll keep you covered here for as long as you need. Just go take care of Rory."

"Thanks," Jess nodded and zipped up his bag. "Okay, I'm just going to grab my laptop."

Chris followed him downstairs, promising to pass the situation on to Matt and Cynthia later that day.

"Give Rory our best," Chris told him as he left. "And keep us informed."

"I will," Jess promised. "Thanks again, man."

They hugged quickly, then Jess got in his car and sped off.

Rory was sitting in the CICU waiting room, trying to keep her head together when her mother called. She had been sitting by herself for an hour after being shuffled from waiting room to waiting room by various nurses. She had finally gotten a hold of Luke back in the E.R, and he had promised to call as soon as they got to the hospital. She was so focused on trying not to cry again that she didn't even hear the phone ringing until a woman tapped her on the arm and pointed it out.

"Sorry," Rory apologized and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hey," Lorelai greeted her. "We're here. Where are you?"

"I'm in the waiting room," Rory looked around. "In the CICU."

"That's where we are," Lorelai sounded confused. "I don't see you. Um, there's a red line on the floor."

"Here too," Rory confirmed. "Just keep following it, I guess."

As she spoke, Luke and Lorelai rounded the corner and saw her.

"Hey!" Lorelai rushed over and pulled her daughter into a hug, Luke not far behind.

"Hey," Rory melted into the hug for a second, then pulled away and started to catch her mother up. "Um, they're doing tests, so that's where he is- blood tests and another E.K.G. They did one in the ambulance, but I guess they're still trying to determine how much damage was actually caused by the heart attack. But that's definitely what it was. It was a myocardial infraction, which is a heart attack. And I guess the E.K.G tells them how bad the blockage of his arteries is and what degree of coronary-artery disease he has, or C.A.D as they call it, because apparently everything is a- what do you call it? An anagram? What's the thing with the letters? Acronym! The C.A.D, C.I.C.U, the E.K.G."

"Come here," Lorelai pulled her back into her arms to stop her from babbling.

"Mom it was awful," Rory tried to hold in another sob. "He just fell down."

"It's gonna be okay," Lorelai rubbed her back comfortingly. "Come on, let's sit for a minute."

She led Rory back to the rows of chairs, Luke trailing behind them, and pushed her into a seat.

"Have you called Grandma yet?"

"I tried, but no one answered," Rory shook her head. "And then I got distracted with everything and-"

"Okay," Lorelai cut her off before she could start babbling again. "I'll go call her. Why don't you and Luke hit up the snack machine?"

"Okay," Rory nodded uneasily and got to her feet.

"Keep an eye on her," Lorelai whispered to Luke, who nodded and put an arm over Rory's shoulders.

"So should we ask a nurse, or do you plan on using your Lorelai Gilmore super powers?" He joked.

"It's this way," Rory chuckled and led him away.

"What are you in the mood for?" Luke asked when they got to the machines.

"I have no idea," she sighed.

"How about one of everything?"

"You're really feeling bad for me right now, aren't you?" Rory spat out a humourless laugh.

"Not at all," Luke pulled her into an awkward hug, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "I just know that sometimes you need to indulge in large amounts of junk food, and sometimes you can't choose."

"Thanks," Rory leaned into him for a second, then started filling the machine with coins.

With Luke's help, she carried all the food back to the waiting room and dumped it onto a table.

"Wow," Lorelai nodded approvingly when she joined them again.

"My brain wasn't up to choosing," Rory shrugged. "So we just got one of everything."

"You do me proud," Lorelai smiled. "So, Grandma's on her way. I didn't talk to her, but the girl at the club said she's en route."

"Okay," Rory nodded. "Well, what's your pleasure?"

"Let's see," her mother turned and studied the table. "Uh... nothing sweet, I don't think."

"No? How about a salty thing?" Rory offered. "Or a fluorescent-orange ersatz-cheese thing?"

"I guess I'm not hungry," Lorelai sighed.

"Me neither," Rory agreed. "I keep thinking this is all just a nightmare."

"I know," Lorelai put an arm around her.

"But it's not."

"No," Lorelai sighed. "I mean, it's a nightmare, but not a _nightmare_ nightmare. I know cause I have shoes on. In my nightmares I never have shoes."

"I didn't know that," Rory frowned.

"Yeah, and it's always the worst part of the dream. I could be chased by snakes or in a nuclear explosion, but then I look down and, 'oh my God! I'm not wearing shoes!'"

"I wonder what that means," Rory mused.

"Well it probably means I have a fear of, you know, hurting my bare feet, or losing my shoes."

"I don't think that's how dream analysis works," Luke shook his head.

Before Lorelai could argue this point, a man in a white coat appeared in the room, "Gilmore?"

Lorelai, Rory and Luke leapt to their feet and made their way over to the man who introduced himself as Dr. Goldstein.

"Is he okay?" Lorelai immediately asked.

"He's doing alright," the doctor nodded. "He's conscious, cogent and not in any significant pain."

"Oh, good," Rory nodded.

"Yeah, good," her mother echoed.

"We just sent him to the cath lab to get an angiogram. After that, we should be able to get a better sense of what kind of blockage is around his heart," Dr. Goldstein explained. "And then we'll figure out where to go from there."

"Where would we go?" Lorelai asked nervously.

"Pardon?"

"I mean, where- where would we go?" she repeated the question.

"Well, if the blockage is more serious, we'll have to consider an emergency bypass surgery."

"Okay," Lorelai tried to keep a brave face on as she reached for Luke and Rory's hands.

"I promise to let you know as soon as we get the results from the lab. Try not to worry," Dr. Goldstein smiled encouragingly.

"No, no, not worried," Lorelai promised. "Just normal amount of worried, you know, for someone whose father just had a heart attack. But not excessively worried."

"Okay," Dr. Goldstein smiled again, then turned and made his way back through the doors.

"Okay," Lorelai nodded and turned to Rory. "Okay?"

"Okay," Rory sighed.

"Okay."

It was another half hour before Emily arrived with her usual gusto, dressed in a purple tracksuit that immediately brightened Lorelai's day.

"Have you seen him?" The eldest Gilmore demanded upon seeing them.

"Not since the E.R," Rory shook her head, jumping to her feet.

"Where is he?" Emily demanded again, turning to her daughter.

"The doctor just came out and said he's in the cath lab," Lorelai filled her in. "He's gonna let us know when he's done."

"Nonsense," Emily turned and stormed to the nurse's station, Rory and Lorelai trailing behind her.

"No, really," Rory tried to explain. "He said he would come back out when he had the results."

Her grandmother ignored her and turned her wrath to the poor nurse.

"I'm Emily Gilmore," she announced. "And I would like to see my husband."

"Oh sure," the nurse smiled brightly. "Let's see, what's your husband's name?"

"Gilmore! Richard Gilmore!" Emily snapped. "I'm his wife, and I would like to see him now."

"I'm sorry, he's in the cath lab," the nurse repeated Lorelai's previous explanation. "But the doctor will come find you as soon as they're done."

"Well there's no need to be so cheery about it," Emily snapped at the girl.

"I didn't mean..." the poor girl's face fell abruptly.

"Honestly," Emily continued. "Someone with your chipper personality ought to be a weather girl or a preschool teacher."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Oh, please. Don't mope!" Emily snapped, then turned and headed back to the waiting area, leaving Lorelai and Rory to apologize for her.

"What happened to all the competent people? That's what I'd like to know," Emily continued ranting. "Was there some giant hole they all fell into, or a virus that struck them all down, leaving the morons of the world to sit behind the desks?"

"Mom, why don't you come sit down," Lorelai tried to lead her over to the cluster of seats they had taken over. "Maybe have a cup of tea?"

"I don't want a cup of tea," the older woman snapped. "What I want is the most perfunctory level of competence from the people with whom I interact, but apparently that is far to much to ask for."

"Grandma we have snacks," Rory joined in.

"Yes, Mom, snacks!" Lorelai agreed. "We have sweet snacks and salty snacks and sweet/salty hybrid snacks."

With great difficulty, they finally coaxed her into a chair, then took a seat on either side of her. Unfortunately, getting her seated did nothing to stop Emily from ranting about how inept every person on the planet was.

"My husband has a heart attack," she was saying. "And how long does it take them to find me? 40 minutes. The nitwit probably got lost between the front desk and the tennis courts!"

"I'm sorry, Grandma, that sounds terrible," Rory tried to sympathize.

"I mean, none of this would have happened if I'd been allowed to keep my cellphone. But _no,_ cellphones have been banned, allegedly because of noise pollution. Well if that's the reason, they should ban John Abbott. I'm telling you, every time that man hits a ball, he grunts like a rutting hog!"

Lorelai, Luke and Rory exchanged amused looks, doing their best not to laugh as Emily continued complaining, moving on to telling them about the alleged drug deals she was sure were going on at the club and their inability to serve fish.

As she ranted, Luke leaned over and got Rory's attention, then pointed towards the door that Jess had just walked through. Lorelai noticed him too and quickly motioned for Rory to go to him before turning her attention back to her mother.

"What are you doing here?" Rory asked as she approached her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, was it not you that called me?" He pulled her into a hug.

"Well, yeah, but that was only two hours ago."

"Two and a half," Jess corrected.

"It's a four hour drive," Rory pointed out.

"I broke a lot of speed limits," he admitted.

Rory stared at him in awe for a second, then burst into tears, burying her face in his chest.

"Shh," Jess rubbed her back soothingly. "Shh, it's okay. I've got you."

They stood like that for a few minutes, Rory trying to gather herself while Jess held her to him as tightly as he could, until Emily noticed that he granddaughter had moved from her seat. When he saw Emily watching them, Jess prodded his girlfriend and led her back over to their family as she tried to hide the evidence that she had been crying.

"Mrs. Gilmore, I'm so sorry," Jess frowned. "How are you holding up?"

"We're holding," Lorelai smiled.

"Jess, how nice of you to come," Emily nodded.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jess offered. "Could I get you a cup of tea or something?"

"A cup of tea would be lovely," Emily smiled. "That's very kind of you."

"Sure," he nodded and turned to Rory. "You gonna be okay?"

"I'm good," she gave him a small smile. "You go."

"I'll give you a hand," Luke got to his feet. "Coffee?"

"Please," Lorelai and Rory both nodded.

Once they were gone, Emily smiled at both her daughter and granddaughter. "Those are good men you've found yourselves."

"Yeah, we like em," Lorelai agreed, giving Rory a shocked look. Apparently it was true what they said about shock, it made people say things they never would normally. As the girls tried to figure out if Emily was having a stroke in solidarity with her husband, Dr. Goldstein came out again and they got to their feet.

"I'm Emily Gilmore," Emily immediately introduced herself.

"Good. I'm glad you're here," the doctor nodded grimly. "The blockage is worse than we'd hoped. I think our best course of action- our only course of action, really- is to do an emergency bypass surgery."

"Open-heart surgery?" Lorelai asked.

"Let him finish, Lorelai," Emily snapped.

"We'd like to go into surgery as soon as possible," Dr. Goldstein continued. "So now would be the time if you'd like to visit."

"Yes," Rory answered immediately. "Yes, we'd like to see him."

"If you'll follow me," Dr. Goldstein nodded and led them out of the waiting room.

As they walked, Emily grilled the doctor about his qualifications, despite Lorelai's subtle hints that she was being inappropriate. When they got to the room, the doctor left them alone, promising that a nurse would be by soon.

Emily immediately started fussing over her husband and telling him all about Dr. Goldstein's qualifications, while Rory moved to the side of his bed and Lorelai skulked close to the door.

"Rory, I'm sorry I gave you a scare in class today," Richard turned to his granddaughter.

"Don't be silly," she waved away his apology. "I'm just glad you're okay. And that you're gonna be more okay after surgery."

"Thank you," he smiled at her. "But I was very aware of what was happening in that ambulance, and I know how upset you were."

"I was just worried," Rory shook her head and bit her cheek to keep from crying again. "But it's all okay now."

"So, how are you feeling, Dad?" Lorelai finally stepped closer. "I mean, considering everything? You look okay."

"Well, all in all, I think I'd rather be in Philadelphia," Richard smiled.

"Ronald Reagan," Rory chuckled.

"Quoting W.C Fields."

"Oh, I didn't know that," she nodded thoughtfully. "But I'm definitely a fan of the city."

"I bet it's great now," Lorelai smiled. "You know, winter is a great time to see the Liberty Bell and the cream cheese. And... that's all I've got on Philadelphia. Rory? Help me out."

"Lorelai," Emily scolded.

"Oh! Philly Cheese Steaks!"

"Lorelai please," Emily shook her head. "Richard, is your neck getting enough support? It looks like you need another pillow."

"It's fine, Emily," Richard shook his head.

"No, you need another pillow." Emily turned and went to find one.

"I got it, Mom," Lorelai grabbed a pillow from a chair and passed it over.

"I can take care of it," Emily shook her head.

"I'm just handing you a pillow," Lorelai frowned.

"I don't want that pillow."

"What's wrong with this pillow?"

"It doesn't have a pillowcase."

"Yes it does," Lorelai shook the case. "What's this? It's a pillowcase."

"Yes, it has _one_ pillowcase. It should have _two_ pillowcases," Emily explained. "One facing each way so that the pillow is never exposed. Now I have to ring for a pillow."

"Mother, we have a pillow right here," Lorelai said exasperatedly. "Why would we-"

"Tuscon," Richard interrupted them.

"What?" Lorelai turned back to her father.

"Tuscon is extremely hot, and it has a dry climate that doesn't agree with me, and I really don't think much of the way they dress out there," he explained. "And I have a deep aversion to cacti of all kinds, yet Tuscon is a place where I would rather be."

"Anywhere but here, right Dad?" Lorelai asked, a slightly emotional edge to her voice. "Although it's awfully dry."

"And so hot," Rory joined in.

"And you're right about the fashion," Emily chuckled. "Ponchos and all that turquoise. Oh, and men in sandals, spare me!"

As they listed their many complaints about Tuscon, Luke and Jess joined them and passed around the drinks they had gotten for everyone, then gave Richard their condolences and stepped back into the hallway to give the family time together.

They stayed with Richard until a nurse came to prep him for surgery.

"I'm sorry, but you can't all be here," she frowned at the family. "Only one of you can stay."

"That's okay," Lorelai smiled and got to her feet. "Mom, you stay. We'll go back to the waiting room."

"We'll see you after," Rory leaned over and kissed her Grandfather's cheek.

"See you later, Dad," Lorelai waved. "We'll be in the waiting room, Mom."


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-Five**

When they got back to the waiting room, Jess and Luke were waiting with more coffee.

"Thanks," Lorelai accepted the cup her husband offered. "Mm, this is good."

"He bribed a nurse," Jess explained.

"Ah," Lorelai smiled. "At least some things never change."

"What?" Rory frowned at her mother.

"Don't you remember? The last time we were in the hospital with Grandpa, Luke brought me and then he bribed a nurse for coffee."

"That whole night is a bit of a blur," Rory frowned. "But I'll take your word for it."

As she spoke, Jess noticed how frazzled and out of it his girlfriend looked and suggested they go for a walk so she could clear her head.

"I think a walk is just what you need," Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "We'll wait for Grandma."

"Yeah, okay," Rory nodded.

Jess got to his feet and took her hand, leading her away from the waiting room and towards the lobby.

"It was awful," she told him as they walked. "He was in the middle of explaining the syllabus and then he just fell down."

Jess wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "That must have been awful."

"You know this is the second time I've had to ride in the back of an ambulance with him," she said. "When he had his last heart attack, Grandma put me in the back of the ambulance because she thought I was too upset to drive."

"When was that?" Jess asked.

"The year before you moved in with Luke. I was sixteen, we had just started getting to know each other," she took a shaky breath and shook her head. "I don't know which is worse, maybe this would have been easier back then."

"Nothing about this is easy," Jess assured her. "If you hadn't gotten to know him, you would still be upset and you would always wonder what your life would have been like without him."

"I guess," she shrugged. "God, okay! I need to talk about something else."

"Got it," Jess nodded. "How's Operation Finish Line going?"

Rory gave a small laugh and leaned into his side. "Paris wants me to pretend to be a rhythmic gymnast to increase my chances of getting a grant to study in Russia."

"How do you pretend to be a rhythmic gymnast?" Jess frowned.

"I have no idea," Rory cried. "Do you whirl around some ribbons? Balance a ball on your nose? She's taking our impending graduation with a pinch of total insanity."

"Well, would she really be Paris if she didn't?" Jess laughed.

Rory shook her head and chuckled in agreement.

"Feeling a bit better?" Jess asked.

"Yeah," she smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Want to go see how everyone else is doing?"

"Sure."

When they got back to the waiting room, Emily was in the middle of a phone call and Luke and Lorelai were chatting quietly.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Rory smiled back. "How's Grandma?"

"She's been on the phone since he went into surgery talking to just about every unimportant person under the sun," Lorelai shrugged. "I swear, I will never understand the way that woman's mind works."

"It probably takes multiple degrees in psychology," Rory frowned.

"Alright," Emily sat down beside them again. "All I need to do now is call Suzanna Shaw and tell her I won't be able to make it to book club tomorrow, which is just as well since I haven't even cracked the cover on the silly book."

"Grandma, is there anything _we_ should be doing?" Rory asked. "Something we could help with?"

"Well, your Grandfather's car is still at Yale," Emily mused. "Somebody should probably go get it and take it back to the house."

"I can do that," Luke jumped up a little too energetically.

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Emily gushed. "I'm not exactly sure where it's parked, but if you check the faculty lot it should be there. He was driving the Jaguar today, you know what it looks like, don't you?"

"Yes," Luke nodded.

"And I think it might be a little low on gas, so you might need to top it up, just make sure it's premium. Let me get the key."

"Mom, how is he supposed to get back to his own car after he gets Dad's?" Lorelai questioned her mother. "Is he supposed to just take a cab back to Yale."

"I have no objection to that," Emily shrugged.

"It's fine," Luke assured his wife.

"No it's not," Lorelai whispered. "You're escaping and I'm stuck here with crazy Salmon lady."

Luke shrugged and turned to accept the car key from his mother-in-law.

"But-" Lorelai started to argue again, but Luke was already kissing her good-bye and heading for the door.

"You do know how to drive a European car, don't you?" Emily called after him. "There's nothing to yank, it's not a lawn mower."

"I promise to take very good care of it," Luke waved. "I'll be back soon, call if you need me."

As he left, Emily's phone rang, and she was back to talking about fish with whoever was on the other end of the line. They had a short argument, then Emily slammed the phone shut and tried to call Luke back.

"Mom, he's gone already. What do you need?"

"I need him to bring a cheque for the fish man," Emily said, as if it were completely obvious.

"Why don't you just reschedule the fish man for later in the week?"

"Because it's important," she snapped.

"It's important to have fish in the house right now?"

"Jess and I can meet the fish man," Rory cut in quickly, seeing that a very loud argument was about to break out. "We can take the cheque, go meet him at the house and get some stuff for when Grandpa wakes up."

"Hey, wait, I'll do that!" Lorelai offered.

"Do what?"

"You pay the fish man, and _I'll_ get some of Grandpa's stuff."

"Mom, that's silly," Rory shook her head. "They're in the same place."

"Yes, but then we'll both have a job," Lorelai reasoned. "You'll have a job and I'll have a job."

"Yeah, but going to the house is one job," Rory argued, then lowered her voice. "And someone has to stay here and keep an eye on Grandma."

"Fine," Lorelai huffed.

"I mean, if you really want to..."

"No," Lorelai relented. "She's my mother."

"Well, you're my mother," Rory offered.

"Exactly," Lorelai nodded. "It's a tangled web. I'll just pretend to be the adult in this situation."

As the girls argued about who had to stay with Emily, the elder Gilmore was explaining where to put all the fish she had ordered to Jess.

When they got to the house, Rory immediately started running around, gathering things she thought would make her grandfather more comfortable when he woke up.

While she ran around the house, Jess fielded calls from the fish man as he got more and more lost in the neighbourhood.

"Are you planning on taking everything he owns?" Jess asked when he saw the box full of stuff she had collected.

"Don't be dramatic," Rory rolled her eyes. "I just got some of his favourite books, a chess set, his favourite records..."

"You know if you take records, you have to take a record player too, right?"

"Is that how it works?" Rory pretended to be shocked. "Gee, I thought he could just mind meld with them."

"Hardy har," Jess rolled his eyes. "So I'm assuming I'll be the one carrying the record player?"

"You assume correctly," Rory nodded. "Where's the fish man?"

"On his way. The snow slowed him down, but he should be here in a couple minutes."

While they waited for the fish man to arrive, Luke showed up with the car and offered to help Rory start loading things into the car to take back to the hospital.

"Can I just point out that there's going to be limited space?" He asked Rory as she passed him a box of books and records.

"I know," Rory nodded. "I just want him to be comfortable."

"Well he definitely will be," Luke chuckled. "Okay, I'm going to call a cab and go get my truck."

"Are you sure you don't want us to drive you back?" Rory asked.

"You and I both know that if you don't get back to that hospital soon, your mother is going to kill her mother and then one of us, and we're going to have a lot more problems on our hands."

"Right," Rory chuckled. "Okay, we'll see you back at the hospital then."

"Yes you will," Luke promised. "I'll bring some food too, since there's not a chance in the world any of you are going to find something healthy to eat in that hospital."

"Seriously?!" Rory cried. "In this time of stress and turmoil, you're going to make us eat healthy food?"

"Yes," Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head. "See you soon."

Rory didn't know if it was the overly parental gesture, or just the stress of the day, but as soon as Luke walked out the door her eyes welled up and she burst into tears again.

"You were alone for five minutes," Jess suddenly appeared in front of her. "What happened?"

Rory tried to laugh through her tears, but only ended up sounding hysterical, which made Jess look even more concerned.

"Should I go get Luke back?" He asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"No, no," she shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm just being crazy."

"Well, yeah," Jess nodded. "That's nothing new, it just usually doesn't involve crying."

"Don't be an ass," she sniffled and rested her head on his chest.

"Sorry," he smirked. "So, what's wrong?"

"Luke kissed the top of my head and said he was going to make me eat something healthy when he gets back to the hospital."

"Okay," Jess tried to follow her thought process, but he was still confused. "Sorry, I'm gonna need a couple more vowels."

"It was just... It was like having a parent," she tried to explain.

"You do have a parent," Jess frowned. "Unless there's something you want to tell me about your relationship with Lorelai."

"It's different," Rory shook her head. "My mom is my best friend, and I know that she loves me and will always take care of me, but with Luke it's... it's different. He's the guy that makes me eat my vegetables and keeps is cool when my grandpa is having open-heart surgery, even though he hates hospitals."

She started to cry again, and Jess pulled her back into his arms, stroking her hair.

"He doesn't have to care," she sniffed. "But he does. And, I don't know, it just kind of hit me all of a sudden. I think this day is just getting to me."

"Understandably," Jess nodded. "So these are... happy tears?"

"Yeah," Rory laughed softly. "I think so."

"Okay."

They were still standing like that when the doorbell rang to indicate the arrival of the fish man.

"Are you good?" Jess asked, rubbing her back.

"Yeah," she pulled away and wiped at the remaining tear tracks on her face. "Well, if this day has done nothing else, at least I know that my mascara really does hold up to the 'Waterproof' claims."

"Always look on the bright side, eh?" Jess laughed and Rory attempted to whistle as he made his way to the door.

While Jess oversaw the storage of what appeared to be every piece of fish in the state of Connecticut, Rory braved her grandmother's closet.

"Everything good?" Rory asked once Jess closed the door on the fish man half an hour later.

"Great," Jess rolled his eyes. "I don't think he liked me, though."

"Why?"

"I refused to laugh at his stupid jokes," Jess shrugged. "But I paid him and now he's gone. What about you? All good?"

"I think so," Rory nodded. "I grabbed a deck of cards and what I think is a Backgammon board, and two outfits for Grandma. I grabbed her a pair of pants because I wanted her to be comfortable, but then I thought that might be offensive to her."

"Offensive how?" Jess frowned.

"I have no idea," Rory shook her head. "But I can see it happening. So I grabbed her a skirt, but that opened up the whole stockings, pantyhose, 'going through my grandma's underwear drawer' can of worms, which was slightly disturbing. And each outfit needs a different top and a pair of shoes, and do you want to know who rivals Imelda Marcos?"

"Emily Gilmore?" Jess guessed.

"It's ridiculous up there! No bi-ped needs that many pairs of shoes," Rory shook her head.

"Would you like me to find you a suitcase for all that stuff?"

"No, let's just put in the car and get back to the hospital before anyone else ends up being admitted."

"Solid plan," Jess nodded. "Let me just grab my jacket."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-Six**

When they got back to the hospital, they found Emily and Lorelai still sitting in the waiting room, partaking of the many snacks Rory had gotten earlier in the day.

While Jess explained the merits of mixing Milk Duds with popcorn to the eldest Gilmore, Lorelai filled Rory in on all the drama she had missed, from Emily's insistence on dealing with stupid nothing things to her sudden need to have all of her husband's life insurance papers on hand, along with his will.

"She started asking for my Social Security number and I just lost it," Lorelai explained to her daughter. "She was acting like he's already dead, when he's not even dying and I just couldn't take it!"

"Understandably," Rory nodded. "I would have been upset too."

"Yeah, so I lost it and then she lost it and then we had a nice little meltdown together, and now here we are. What about you?"

"What about me?" Rory asked. "Have I had any meltdowns? Yes, quite a few."

"Since you left?"

"Yes. Luke was being all parent-y and I kind of lost it."

"Because Luke was parent-y?" Lorelai frowned and put an arm around her. "Why did that make you upset?"

"He's just being so nice and dad-like, not that that's anything new, but it just meant a lot more today," she tried to explain. "I'm just kind of a mess today."

"You're allowed to be a mess today," Lorelai rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "But it didn't bother you that Luke was being parent-y, did it?"

"No!" Rory shook her head furiously. "I love Luke like he really is my Dad. I just kind of realized how much he really cares about us- about me, even though he doesn't have to."

Lorelai could tell that she was starting to get upset again, and from the corner of her eye she saw Jess watching them closely.

"Of course he loves you," Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "Until last year, you were the only daughter he knew about."

"Until last year I wasn't even his daughter," Rory pointed out.

"You were close enough," Lorelai shrugged.

Rory nodded, not trusting her own voice and quickly wiped at her eyes, not wanting her grandmother to worry about her. Before the older woman could even notice that her granddaughter was upset, however, Dr. Goldstein came out to tell them that Richard was out of surgery.

"It went extremely well," he assured them. "He's rather groggy right now, but if you would like to see him Mrs. Gilmore, you can come with me."

"Yes, please!" Emily jumped from her seat and handed Jess the box of Milk Duds she had been holding.

"Give Dad our love," Lorelai told her mother as she hurried after the doctor, pestering him with questions about the surgery.

"Hey," Luke entered the waiting room just as his Mother-in-law left, carrying a cardboard box. "Where's she going?"

"Dad's out of surgery," Lorelai explained. "Apparently it went really well and we'll get to go see him soon."

"That's great," Luke smiled.

"We think so," Lorelai nodded. "What's in the box?"

"Food." Luke set the box down on an empty chair to reveal multiple bags from the diner inside.

"Ah, so that's where you've been," Lorelai smirked. "I was wondering if you'd gotten lost."

"Yeah, sorry. I just thought you guys would want something familiar, and far better than hospital food," he explained.

"You sure think a lot of your cooking," Jess raised an eyebrow.

"You can go ahead and eat the hospital food if you think it's better," Luke challenged his nephew, making the girls laugh.

"Sorry," Jess held his hands up. "I think everyone's a little tense, there's no need to make any rash decisions."

"Uh huh," Luke rolled his eyes. "Okay, so we've got burgers and salads and some classic Gilmore comfort foods and then there's the fish bag."

"The fish bag?" Lorelai asked.

"It seemed like a good idea," Luke shrugged. "Seeing as your mother seems to think fish is now the answer to all of life's big questions. So we've got a couple fillets, a lobster roll, fish tacos, two tuna sandwiches, some fried fish and an order of fish sticks."

"That's a lot of fish," Rory nodded appreciatively.

"Eat some, it's healthy," Luke pulled out a container and handed it to her.

"I'm not eating a tuna fish sandwich," Rory wrinkled her nose and handed the container back. "I could be convinced to eat a couple fish sticks, though."

"That's not healthy," Luke shook his head.

"Hey, what about the comfort foods you mentioned?" Lorelai jumped in, sifting through one of the bags. "All I see here is salad."

"There's pie and cookies in the other bag," Luke told her, then pulled it out of her grasp. "And you can have some after you eat something that resembles real food."

"Can that resemblance be a burger?" Rory pleaded.

"If you promise not to pick the lettuce and tomato off."

"Deal," she held out her hands to accept the bag with the burgers.

"There's some mac and cheese in there too."

"See, _that's_ the comfort food I'm talking about!" Lorelai kissed his cheek. "You're a doll, you know that?"

"You may have mentioned it once or twice," Luke nodded. "Now eat some dinner."

"Yes, sir!" Lorelai nodded solemnly and dug into a fish taco.

When they finished eating, Jess and Luke went out to the parking structure to retrieve all the stuff Rory had collected for her grandfather's room while Emily filled the girls in on the intricate details of the surgery and had some dinner.

"So they're going to be moving him to the Cardiac Recovery ward tomorrow," she finished her explanation. "And hopefully he'll be home next week, with proper out patient care, of course."

"Of course," Lorelai nodded. "Well, we'll be here for anything you need, Mom. In the hospital and at home."

"Thank you, Lorelai," Emily smiled kindly at her daughter.

"Your slaves have returned," Jess announced as he and Luke reappeared, their arms full of boxes.

"Do you think you went a little overboard, Hon?" Lorelai asked her daughter, trying not to laugh at the boys.

"I just want him to be comfortable," Rory tried to explain.

"It was very kind of you, Rory," Emily patted her knee. "Why don't you girls go show them his room while I go deal with some paperwork?"

"Sure," Rory and Lorelai got to their feet and lead their respective partners down the hallway to Richard's room.

"Hey, Dad," Lorelai stuck her head into the room to make sure he was awake and decent before leading the rest of the family in. "Rory brought half of the house back for you, so we thought we'd get you all set up."

"It's not half the house," Rory rolled her eyes. "It's just some stuff to make you more comfortable."

"Thank you, Rory," Richard smiled sleepily at his granddaughter. "That was very kind of you. Hello Luke, Jess."

"Hi Richard," both men nodded to him. "How are you feeling?"

"All in all, I think I've been worse," Richard admitted. "So, what have you got there?"

"I brought you some records and books," Rory told him. "And a chess board for when you're up to it. All your entertainment necessities."

While Rory explained all the amenities she had brought from the house, Jess set up the record player, then allowed Rory to take over, following Luke out of the room to give the girls time alone with the older man.

"Here we go," Rory found the record she was looking and got it set up. "A little Maggie Blues."

"Ahh," Richard nodded happily.

"That is Bing and Gary Crosby," Rory assured him. "I found it in a box of mismatched sleeves."

"Why doesn't anyone name their kid Bing anymore?" Lorelai mused as they listened.

"You could have named me Bing," her daughter pointed out.

"I thought about it, but you didn't look like a Bing."

"I don't even know if I should be insulted by that," Rory frowned.

"I wish I was a crooner," Richard mumbled happily, as he always did when Maggie Blues played.

"I also brought you some Gershwin, Chuck Berry, and the Andrews Sisters," Rory flipped through the box of records she had collected. "Ooh, and some Milton Friedman."

"The guy who sang Spirit in the Sky?" Lorelai frowned.

"That was Norman Greenbaum," her father corrected.

"Milton Friedman's the economist who won the Nobel prize in the 70's," Rory explained. "I figured when you were sick of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you could pick up Friedman for a _real_ mystery and deduce the disadvantages of government intervention in economic policy."

Lorelai exchanged an impressed, if slightly mocking look with her father at this explanation.

"So, what do you say Dad? Here, or Philadelphia?" She asked. "What's the call?"

"While I would like to visit Philadelphia one day, I think for now I'd rather be in New Haven."

"Yeah, it's okay here," Lorelai nodded approvingly. "We can import cream cheese and cheese steaks and whatever else they have in Philadelphia. Hell, we even imported your granddaughter and her leech-like author."

"He is not leech-like," Rory rolled her eyes.

"I agree," Richard nodded. "He's a very talented young man."

"Eh, he's okay," Lorelai waved them off. "You look good, Dad. This outfit isn't really up to your usual J. Press standards, unless there's some brass buttons I can't see, but... you look good. You look tall."

"I think..." her father yawned. "I think I'll just close my eyes for a minute."

"Okay," Lorelai smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Is he asleep?" Rory asked after a minute, perching on the arm of her mother's chair.

"I think so," Lorelai nodded. "Should we draw a moustache on him?"

"He's already got a moustache," Rory laughed.

"Oh, right. The music's nice."

"It is, isn't it," Rory agreed.

They sat quietly and listened for a few minutes before Lorelai spoke again.

"Hey, Rory?"

"Hey, Mom?"

"I'm glad you're doing so well with Jess. I'm happy that you're happy."

"Thanks," Rory leaned down and rested her head on top of her mother's.

"He's not bad, the hoodlum. He's almost okay."

"I'm glad you think so," Rory chuckled. "I'm glad you and Luke are happy too."

They spent the rest of the evening taking shifts in the room, keeping Richard company while he slept off the anaesthesia, until Lorelai insisted that Rory go home and sleep.

"You've been here for hours, Hon."

"So have you!" Rory argued, not willing to go without a fight.

"You've been here longer," Lorelai shook her head. "You're exhausted. Grandpa's fine, he's just sleeping now. You should go home and sleep too. You can come back in the morning."

"You need to rest too."

"I will," Lorelai promised. "As soon as I convince Mom to go home and sleep, I promise to go and get some sleep myself."

"But-" Rory tried to argue again, but Luke had joined them and was joining Lorelai in the parental stare.

"Go sleep," Lorelai pulled her daughter into her arms and hugged her tightly. "If something happens, we will call you immediately."

"But nothing is going to happen," Luke added quickly. "Because everything in surgery went great, and your grandfather is a tough guy."

"Right," Lorelai nodded. "Now, off to bed with you."

"But-"

"Come on," Jess put a comforting arm around Rory's shoulders.

"But-"

"No buts," he shook his head. "You need to sleep. You've been here for over twelve hours."

"We'll see you in the morning," Lorelai promised again.

"And you'll call?" Rory sighed.

"Absolutely."

She stood her ground for another minute, but when neither her mother or Luke showed any signs of backing down, she finally relented.

"Okay," her shoulders drooped. "But I'm coming back first thing."

"I'm sure Grandpa will appreciate it," Lorelai smiled. "Sleep well, Kid."

"You too," Rory sulked. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning."

Jess finally pulled her away, passing over her coat and draping his arm over her shoulders again. From the corner of his eye, he caught Lorelai mouthing a 'thank you' and give her a small nod.

"You need to get some sleep too," Luke pointed out once Rory and Jess were gone.

"I will," Lorelai promised. "I just want to make sure Mom goes home."

She turned and went in search of her mother, Luke following and taking her hand.

"Thank you, by the way," Lorelai turned to him as they walked.

"For what?" He frowned.

"For being here," she shrugged.

"That's what husbands do," he kissed her temple. "I'm pretty sure it was in our vows."

"Well, yeah, but it's more than that," Lorelai shook her head. "It's just a huge load off my mind having you here, even thought you spent most of the day running around doing stuff for my mother."

"I'd rather do it than have you running around," Luke shrugged.

"No, I know," Lorelai shook her head. "It's just..."

"What?" Luke stopped and pulled her off to the side of the corridor so they could face each other.

"When Rory and Jess came back this afternoon, she said that you had helped her load the car, and that you made her cry."

"I made Rory cry?!" Luke asked, a panicked look crossing his face. "What did I do? I didn't mean to make her cry!"

"No," Lorelai laughed softly, shaking her head. "Not in a bad way. She said that as you were leaving you promised to bring food back with you, and that you were going to make her eat something healthy and then you kissed her forehead."

"And that made her cry?" Luke asked, still worried. "Did I cross the line or something? I didn't even think about it, I just- that's what I do when April leaves and-"

"Exactly," Lorelai interrupted him. "She was crying because she felt like she really had a dad there, taking care of her and it was overwhelming. So what I'm trying to say- obviously not very well, but trying nonetheless- is thank you for being a parent to my kid and taking care of her while I was distracted by all this. Thank you for being her Dad."

Luke stared at his wife in shock for a few seconds, then cleared his throat and smiled.

"There's nothing else I would rather do than take care of Rory," he promised. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. As far as I'm concerned, she's as much my daughter as April is."

"Good," Lorelai smiled. "Because that's how we feel too."

"What's wrong?" Jess asked, turning to face his girlfriend.

They had been sitting in the car in front of her apartment building for almost five minutes, but she had yet to make any sort of indication that she was going to go inside.

"I want to go home," she sighed. "I just want everything to be normal. I want to go and watch a movie with Matt and Cynthia, and I want to curl up in our bed and go to sleep without worrying that my mom is going to call any second and tell me that my grandpa is dead."

"She's not going to call," Jess reached over and took her hand. "He's okay now, you heard the doctor. Everything went well in surgery and he's going to be home before you know it."

"That's what they said last time," Rory shook her head.

"And he was fine for six years after that," Jess pointed out.

Rory nodded reluctantly but still didn't move to open her door, or take off her seat belt.

"Why don't we go stay at the diner tonight?" Jess finally offered. "It might not be Philly, but it's still home, right?"

"Yeah," Rory nodded. "The diner would be good."

"Good," Jess smiled at her. "Do you want me to run upstairs and get you some clothes? That way you won't have to face the wrath of Paris."

"Please," she nodded and pulled her keys out of her bag. "Thanks."

"My pleasure," Jess took the keys. "Just promise to call for help if I'm not back in fifteen minutes."

"Sure," the ghost of a smile passed over her face.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then headed into the building.

"Hello?" Jess unlocked the door and wandered inside, looking around for either of Rory's roommates.

"How did you get in here?" Paris demanded, stepping out of the kitchen.

Jess held up Rory's keys in answer. "I have an inside source."

"Haha. Where's Rory?"

"Downstairs. I'm just here to get her some clothes, we're going back to Stars Hollow for the night."

"How's Richard?" Paris asked, following Jess into Rory's room and leaning against the door frame. "The last time I called he was still in surgery."

"He's out now," Jess filled her in. "Everything went well and they're hoping to send him home next week, depending on how his recovery goes."

"Good," Paris nodded. "That's good. How's Rory?"

"She's been better," Jess admitted.

"She sounded pretty upset on the phone," Paris sighed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so," Jess shrugged. "Although, if you could hold off getting mad about her missing out on your little Finish Line projects, _I_ would appreciate it."

"You know, contrary to popular belief I do have a heart," Paris frowned at him. "I'm not going to lose my mind because Rory's grandfather had a heart attack. I like Richard, too. I'll keep working on the plan until she gets back."

"Good to know," Jess nodded. "I'll tell her you asked about him."

"I appreciate that," Paris pursed her lips. "And if there's anything I can do, tell her to call me."

"Thanks, Paris."

"Also, you might want to pack her some pants."

Jess looked into the bag he had been about to zip up and chuckled. He had packed half her underwear drawer, two shirts and a pair of shorts.

"Right, pants would probably be good," he agreed. "Thanks."

"No problem," Paris nodded and headed back to the kitchen, leaving Jess to finish packing.

When he was sure that he had enough clothes for her to last a few days in Stars Hollow, Jess threw a couple books into the bag and headed back to the car.

"Paris says to call her if you need anything," He told Rory as he got back in the car. "And she's going to keep Operation Finish Line going until you get back, so you don't have to worry about that."

"That's good," Rory rolled her eyes. "Seeing as that was obviously my top priority right now."

"I figured," Jess smiled. "Okay, I've got you enough clothes for at least three days, and thanks to Paris I even remembered pants."

"Paris had to remind you to pack me pants?" Rory frowned.

"It's been a long day," he shrugged. "Sue me. The important thing is that someone remembered them."

"If you say so," she shrugged. "Cynthia called while you were up there. She said she's been calling all day and you were ignoring her."

"I wasn't ignoring her," Jess shook his head. "I was just focused on you."

"So was everyone else, apparently," Rory chuckled. "She said they've been going crazy worrying about me. For future reference, it's okay to answer the phone when they call, instead of spending all your time worrying about me."

"I'll make a mental note," Jess promised. "You ready to go now?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "I'll just call Mom and make sure they don't need us back at the hospital."

"They don't," Jess assured her, but Rory called anyways.

"Honey, I love you," Lorelai told her daughter. "But if you don't stop trying to weasel your way back into this hospital, I'm going to put you there myself- and not in Grandpa's room."

"Fine," Rory huffed. "We're going to stay at the diner tonight."

"That sounds like a great idea," Lorelai agreed.

"But if something happens, we'll be farther away-"

"Nothing is going to happen," her mother interrupted. "Grandpa is sound asleep, Mom has paid off the night nurses to take extra good care of him, and we're about to walk her down to her car. Everything is okay, here. You need to go home and sleep, okay?"

"But-"

"Rory," Lorelai was using her 'Mom-voice' now. "Everything is fine. Nothing is going to happen between now, and when you get back here in the morning. I promise you. Okay?"

"Okay," Rory finally relented. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Honey," Lorelai's tone softened. "It's okay. We're all stressed. I just need you to let me be your Mom right now, and listen to me."

"I guess I can do that," Rory sighed.

"Good. I love you, Hon."

"I love you too, Mom. See you in the morning."


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

Rory slept fitfully that night, jolting awake every hour or so, a panicked feeling in her chest. Each time she woke up, Jess was awake within seconds as well, pulling her back into his arms and assuring her that everything was fine.

Around four in the morning, she woke up gasping for breath after a particularly bad nightmare.

"Hey," Jess reached for her groggily. "It's okay."

She pushed his hands away and dashed to the bathroom, emptying her stomach of everything Luke had fed her earlier.

Jess followed and knelt behind her, holding back her hair and rubbing her back.

"It's okay," he kept repeating. "You're okay."

When she was sure there was nothing left in her stomach, Rory reached up and flushed the toilet, then fell back into Jess's chest, crying.

"It's okay," he held her tightly. "I've got you. It was just a dream."

"No it wasn't," she shook her head. "It wasn't a dream. None of this is a dream."

"Come on," Jess tried to help her up. "Let's get you some water. Okay?"

"I need to brush my teeth," she shook her head and pushed him away. "I'll be out in a minute."

Jess nodded and went to get her a glass of water, which he put down beside the bed. When she came out of the bathroom and threw herself back onto the mattress beside him, he pointed to the glass and instructed her to drink.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head adamantly.

"Okay," Jess shrugged. "Do you want to try and go back to sleep?"

"I just want you to hold me," she said quietly.

"I can definitely do that," Jess smiled softly and pulled her into his arms.

She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as he rubbed slow circles over her hip with his thumb. It took a while, but Jess finally felt her breathing even out and looked down to see that her eyes were closed.

"You're gonna be okay," he whispered. "I've got you."

When she didn't stir at his voice, Jess allowed himself to drift off again too.

Rory didn't wake up again until 8, which made her panic more than she had throughout the night.

"I told Grandpa I would be there first thing!" She cried, running around the apartment, trying to get ready.

"Rory, calm down," Jess tried to grab her.

"No, Jess, I promised!" She pushed him away and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Jess tried to convince himself that she was just stressed, but she was starting to worry him. He had never seen her this panicked before, even when she had run off to Philly with him. It didn't matter what they were doing, she always had everything planned down to the last detail, she was always in control, but she couldn't control this. Her grandfather's health was the one thing that she had absolutely no control over, and Jess knew that she didn't know how to handle that.

The last time he'd had a heart attack, they had barely known each other. She had been worried, but she knew that in the grand scheme of things, her life wouldn't be turned upside down if something happened to him. Now, though, she couldn't imagine life without her grandfather, and Jess knew that even the faintest possibility of that happening terrified her, which was why he decided to call in reinforcements.

While Rory hid in the bathroom, Jess ran downstairs to retrieve his uncle.

"Where's Lorelai?" He asked when he got downstairs.

"She went to Hartford to help Emily start organizing home care," Luke frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I could just use some help up here," Jess admitted.

"Is Rory okay?" Luke immediately dropped what he was doing and followed Jess up the stairs.

"Well, right now she's locked in the bathroom, and before that she was running around panicking because she promised she would be at the hospital first thing and she only just woke up because she was up every hour last night."

"Got it," Luke nodded. "Why don't you get her some coffee and I'll try to get her out of the bathroom."

Jess looked unsure about this plan, but when his Uncle pushed him away from the door, he nodded and headed back down the stairs.

"Rory?" Luke called when he entered the apartment. "Rory, it's Luke. Are you okay?"

He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard retching coming from the bathroom and hurried over to the door.

"Rory?"

"I'm fine," she called, then started to cough.

"You don't sound fine," Luke frowned.

He could hear shuffling behind the door, followed by the toilet flushing and the sink running. When she opened the door a minute later, Luke knew instantly that she had been throwing up. She was so pale he could practically see straight through her skin and she could barely stand.

"Come on," He held a hand out to her.

"I'm fine," she tried to push him away, but Luke caught hold of her arm and tugged softly.

"No you're not. Come sit down."

"I have to get dressed and get to the hospital," she shook her head. "I promised Grandpa I would be there first thing, he's probably wondering where I am."

"You can't go to the hospital yet," Luke told her. "Visiting hours don't start until ten. They won't let you in before then."

"But-"

"Those are the rules," Luke cut off her argument. "Now sit down and tell me why you locked yourself in the bathroom."

"I didn't lock myself in," she frowned. "I closed the door. There's a difference."

"Jess seems to think you locked yourself in," Luke challenged.

"Well Jess is a moron."

"Well I can't say I disagree with you," Luke shrugged. "But I have a funny feeling he's on the right track this time."

"Your parental senses tingling?" Rory asked sarcastically.

"Something like that. You want to talk about it?"

"No, I want to go to the hospital."

"At least have some coffee first," Jess walked back into the room carrying two mugs.

"I feel very attacked right now," Rory crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?" He frowned. "I'm bringing you coffee and Luke's being parental."

"By definition, parents tend to be pretty attack-y."

"That's not a word," Jess shook his head. "And that's only your mother's parents."

"I'm an adult," Rory took the mug Jess handed her. "I don't need to be parented, or babysat."

"Everyone needs to be parented sometimes," Luke assured her. "Your mom went to Hartford to help your Grandma sort some things out, so I'm the next best thing. Spill."

"There's nothing to spill," Rory lied. "I just want to get back to the hospital."

"Rory," Luke chastised her kindly. "Come on, we all know that's not what's going on here."

"Do we?" She pursed her lips angrily. "Well then, Daddy-Luke, why don't you enlighten me?"

Normally her aggressive tone would have made Luke back off, but after his conversation with Lorelai the night before he found that he wasn't scared to get on her bad side anymore.

"You're scared," Luke said simply. "You're scared because your grandfather had a heart attack in front of you yesterday, and that's scary."

"He's fine," Rory tried to brush off the idea. "That's what you've all been telling me, at least. Are you lying?"

"No," Luke shook his head. "But I know you, and I know that yesterday scared you. And I also know that when someone important to you is sick, it can be hard to believe when people tell you things are going to be okay."

He took Rory's angry silence as acknowledgement that he was right and kept going.

"But that doesn't mean they're going to stop saying it. If anything had happened, the hospital would have called and they haven't. You don't need to worry anymore, everything is fine."

"Just because you keep saying that, doesn't make it true!" Rory suddenly exploded, jumping to her feet. "He almost died! In fact, he _did_ die. I sat on the floor in that classroom and kept his heart beating while we waited for the ambulance! And when they got there, I sat in the back of the truck and watched while the paramedics shocked him. I watched him die! So, no! No! Everything is not fine! We are so far from fine, you couldn't find it with the Hubble fucking telescope!"

Before Luke or Jess could stop her, she turned and ran for the bathroom again, slamming the door and turning the lock.

"Okay," Jess frowned. "That's definitely not how I saw that going."

"I think it's time to call Lorelai," Luke got up and found the phone.

"Hey," Lorelai answered on the second ring. "You called at the absolute perfect moment! Mom is ripping the woman from the at-home care company a new one. Hold on a second, I'll try and get closer so you can hear-"

"Lorelai," Luke interrupted.

"What? What's wrong?" His wife asked, immediately catching the note of worry in his voice.

"I think you should come back here," he said.

"Why? What happened? Is it Rory?" Lorelai demanded, panic creeping into her own voice.

"It's okay," Luke tried to reassure her. "She's fine, technically, but I think she needs you to come back."

"Okay, okay. I'll just tell Mom I'm leaving and I'll be there soon," he could hear her grabbing her coat and bag in the background. "You're at the diner?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

Luke put the phone down and went to see how Jess was doing. He found him sitting on the floor, leaning against the bathroom door and trying to convince Rory to let him in.

"Lorelai's on her way," Luke sighed.

"Ror, come on," Jess called through the door. "Just let me in."

He was met with nothing but silence.

"Rory," Luke joined in. "Can you please come out?"

More silence.

"Are you okay?" Jess asked her.

The silence was replaced by the sound of retching yet again, and Jess winced.

"Ror, please let me in."

"I'm going to go get her some toast," Luke said. "She needs to put something in her stomach."

Jess nodded and turned his attention back to the door.

"Do you want some water?" he asked. "Or some ginger ale?"

He took her silence as a no.

"Are you still alive in there?" He asked a few minutes later.

Even more silence.

"Rory, please," he was starting to beg. "Give me something. If you're okay, knock on the door."

There were a few more seconds of silence, and then a soft tap on the door.

"Thank you."

When Luke came back up with the toast, Jess let him take a stab at getting an answer from Rory, but he was just as unsuccessful.

"Rory, come on," Luke tried to reason with her. "You need to eat something. You've been throwing up for the last half hour, you need to put something in your stomach."

Rory continued to ignore him, despite this very valid argument, and they decided to give up until Lorelai showed up.

"You might as well go back downstairs," Jess told him uncle. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"With your x-ray vision?" Luke frowned.

"Pretty much. I'll come get you if I need you."

Once Luke was gone, Jess took up his position in front of the bathroom door again.

"If you take the toast I promise not to try and push my way into the bathroom," he offered.

"No," her voice was barely more than a mumble.

"Rory, please let me in," he begged.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I just want to be alone," she sniffed. "Please."

Jess decided to let her think he had given up for the time being, though he didn't move away from the door until Lorelai burst into the apartment twenty minutes later.

"Where is she?" She demanded, a hint of panic in her voice.

Jess pointed behind him, to the closed door. "Did Luke fill you in?"

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded. "Want to let me take a stab."

Jess shrugged and got to his feet. "Knock yourself out."

He went and sat on the couch, watching closely as Lorelai took his place outside the door and tapped on it softly.

"Rory?" She called through the door. "Honey, please let me in."

"Leave me alone," Rory mumbled.

"Rory, open the door, or I'm going to let Luke break it," Lorelai threatened seriously.

There was a moment of silence, and then Jess heard the faint noise of the lock turning. He gave Lorelai an encouraging smile and a thumbs up, then watched as she slipped into the bathroom with her daughter, taking the toast that was still sitting on the floor and the glass of water Jess had retrieved earlier, with her.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled softly at her daughter, who was lying on the floor, a towel under her head, looking miserable. "Luke made you toast."

"I know," Rory mumbled.

"You should probably eat it. You know how he is about making sure you eat," Lorelai tried to joke.

Rory didn't appreciate her efforts.

"What happened, Hon?" Lorelai sat down on the floor beside her daughter and patted her lap. "Come on, tell the Mommy."

Begrudgingly, Rory scooted forward and rested her head in her mother's lap, letting her stroke her hair.

"Why didn't you tell me what really happened yesterday?" Lorelai asked.

"It wasn't important," Rory mumbled.

"Of course it was! Rory, honey, that must have been terrible. You shouldn't have tried to keep it to yourself."

"I didn't want you to worry."

"I always worry about you," Lorelai assured her. "It's no trouble at all."

This joke earned her a small smile.

"You were already so worried about Grandpa, and Grandma was being crazy. You had enough on your plate," Rory explained.

"I never have too much on my plate to take care of you," Lorelai shook her head. "You are my number one priority, _always._ But aside from that, why didn't you tell Jess?"

"I didn't want him to worry."

"I think that plan backfired a little bit," Lorelai frowned. "Seeing as he's been sitting outside the bathroom door begging you to let him in for the last hour or so, from what I've heard."

Rory bit her lip and nodded.

"So, do you want to stop hiding in here and go ease his mind?"

"Not yet," she shook her head.

"Okay," Lorelai nodded and continued stroking her hair. "Do you want to talk about yesterday?"

"No."

"Do you want something to drink?"

"No."

"Do you want to play twenty questions?"

"I thought we already were," Rory frowned.

"No, twenty questions is usually a lot more fun than this," Lorelai shook her head. "Okay, I'm thinking of an animal..."

Rory let out a soft laugh, and Lorelai smiled down at her.

"He's okay now," she promised. "I know yesterday was scary, and I know that you're scared it's going to happen again, but the surgery went really well. I was there when Grandma grilled the doctor last night, and he promised us that everything was okay, now. And besides that, Grandpa is being well taken care of while we're not there- Grandma paid off all the nurses to make sure he was their top priority. Seriously, he may never want to leave because they're taking such good care of him."

Rory nodded, tears prickling in her eyes.

"All I can think of is how it felt to sit on the floor and give him CPR," she whispered. "I don't even know how I knew what to do, I just started doing it. And then he coded in the ambulance and there was nothing I could do. I just had to sit there and watch the paramedic try to get him back."

"But they did," Lorelai reassured her. "Grandpa's still here. He didn't go anywhere."

"I know that," Rory nodded. "I just hate knowing that if they hadn't, there was nothing I could have done to help. Everything is just so out of control."

She started to cry again.

"I know," Lorelai tried to soothe her. "I know, Honey. It's going to be okay, though."

"You don't know that," Rory shook her head.

"Yes I do," Lorelai promised. "And right now, you need to trust that Mommy knows best, okay?"

Rory looked up at her, chewing her lip while tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

"Trust me," Lorelai wiped the tears away.

"Okay," Her daughter finally nodded.

"Okay," Lorelai smiled down at her.

They sat quietly for a few more minutes, until Rory finally sat up and wiped her eyes.

"I need to brush my teeth," she cringed.

"Okay," Lorelai smiled. "I'm going to go tell the hoodlum he can stop hovering outside the door waiting for his x-ray vision superpowers to kick in."

"Thanks, Mom." Rory pulled her mother into a hug.

"Of course," Lorelai kissed the top of her head. "Sometimes you just need your Mommy."

Rory chuckled and nodded.

"Is she okay?" Jess demanded, jumping off the couch as soon as Lorelai stepped out of the bathroom.

"She will be," Lorelai smiled at him. "She's just brushing her teeth."

She could see the relief wash over Jess as she spoke and had the sudden urge to hug the boy. Instead, she reached out and squeezed his arm.

"You're a good guy, Jess," she smiled. "I'm glad she's got you."

"I didn't do her much good this morning," Jess frowned.

"Of course you did," Lorelai shook her head. "You can't always fix her on your own, though. Sometimes you need to know when to admit defeat. She just needed her Mom. But you and I both know that you've been taking good care of her ever since you guys got back together."

"Thanks," Jess nodded awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with the other woman.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Lorelai smiled at him. "She'll be out in a minute."

True to her word, Rory emerged a minute later, looking embarrassed and unsure of herself.

"Hey," Jess rushed to her side and took her face in his hands. "Are you okay?"

Rory shrugged and leaned into his touch.

"Please don't shut me out," he begged. "Please."

"I won't," she agreed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Jess shook his head. "You needed your Mom. Nothing wrong with that."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what really happened yesterday," Rory apologized again. "I just didn't want you to worry."

Jess coughed out a laugh and kissed her forehead.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Well, right now, I wouldn't mind if you just sat quietly with me for a few minutes," she admitted.

"As you wish."

Jess led her to the couch and let her crawl on top of him, resting her head on his chest while he held her tightly. While they lay there, Rory listening to his heartbeat, Jess running his hands up and down her back lightly, he couldn't help but think about how in love he was with this girl, and how desperately he wanted to protect her from the world, no matter what it took.


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked Lorelai as soon as she stepped out from behind the curtain.

"Everything is fine," she smiled up at him. "She left the bathroom, ate a piece of toast and is now sitting quietly with Jess."

"I'm glad," Luke let out a sigh of relief. "I just didn't know what to do."

"It's okay," Lorelai patted his arm. "She just needed her mom."

"But she's okay now?" he confirmed.

"She will be," Lorelai nodded. "Yesterday was just hard on her."

"I guess," Luke scoffed. "She didn't tell you any of that?"

"Nope," Lorelai shook her head. "You were the only one."

"I don't think that counts," Luke frowned. "She didn't tell me, so much as she screamed it at me because I pushed her too far."

"Hey," Lorelai took his face in her hands. "You didn't push her too far. You got her to tell you what was wrong. It doesn't matter that she was screaming it at you, it matters that she told you and now we can help her."

"I guess," he shrugged. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Breakfast would be good," Lorelai agreed. "I'll have the 'My-Daughter-Is-Stressing-Me-Out' meal."

"Jack or Cheddar?"

"Jack, please."

"Coming right up," Luke nodded and disappeared into the kitchen

"Hey, Lorelai!" Zach came over and poured her a cup of coffee. "How are you doing this fine morning?"

"I'm doing okay, Zach," Lorelai smiled at him. "How are you? How's Lane?"

"We're good," Zach nodded. "I'm loving the new job. I can totally see why Lane digs working here so much."

"Glad to hear it," Lorelai laughed.

"Hey, how's your Dad? I heard he was in the hospital."

"He's good, thanks."

"Zach, pick up these plates!" Luke called from the kitchen.

"Right," Zach nodded and snapped his fingers. "Glad everything's alright."

He gave her another nod, then spun around and grabbed the plates Luke had just put up, shuttling them off to their respective tables.

"Here you go," Luke came out with Lorelai's breakfast. "Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and fries."

"Thanks," she tucked in. "What time is it?"

"9:30," Luke checked is watch. "Is Rory still insisting she needs to be at the hospital as soon as visiting hours start?"

"She wasn't when I left, but that could have changed," Lorelai shrugged. "I might have talked her down enough to keep her here for a while longer. Although I have a couple tricks left up my sleeve if not."

"What kind of tricks?" Luke frowned.

"I'm going to tell her we should give Grandma and Grandpa some alone time together, pull on her heart strings a little. Possibly make her a little grossed out at the idea, we'll see how the heart string pulling goes first."

"Because that's not at all manipulative," he nodded.

"Hey, sometimes a mother's gotta do what she's gotta do," Lorelai shrugged. "It's for her own good. And besides, you and I both know that you've manipulated her into eating vegetables on multiple occasions."

"That's not manipulating," Luke shook his head. "That's smart strategy."

"It's mean, is what it is," Lorelai argued. "Withholding pie until we eat vegetables. It should be against the Geneva Convention."

"Uh huh, why don't you go write them a letter about that and see how it goes."

"Maybe I will."

"Maybe you will, what?" Rory asked, stepping out from behind the curtain.

"Write a letter to the Geneva Convention about how it's inhumane to withhold pie from innocent people before they've finished their vegetables."

"You can't write to the Geneva Conventions," Rory pointed out. "It's a series of treaties, not a person."

"I'll find a way," Lorelai assured her.

"You want some breakfast?" Luke decided to ignore his wife and turned to Rory. "That toast probably didn't do much for you."

"I'm not really hungry," she frowned.

"You should try to eat something, Hon," Lorelai rubbed her back.

"I'll eat later," Rory promised. "I just came to get some more coffee. There isn't any upstairs."

"Coming up," Luke nodded and poured her a mug.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," she said quietly when he handed her the drink.

"Don't worry about it," Luke smiled kindly at her. "Sometimes you just need someone to yell at."

"Still," Rory shook her head.

"Hey, I've got a hard shell," Luke assured her. "You can yell at me whenever you want."

"Thanks Luke," Rory smiled and reached over the counter to hug him. "I'm going to go get ready."

"You're not going to rush, though, right?" Lorelai frowned at her daughter.

"I promised I would be there first thing," Rory repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Okay, but how about you aim for 11?" She suggested. "Grandma will be there, so you can give them some time together and give yourself time to mellow."

"Mellow?" Rory frowned at her mother.

"You know what I mean."

"Fine," Rory relented. "11:00, but no later!"

"Absolutely not," Lorelai shook her head. "We wouldn't want Grandpa to have to read his Friedman to himself."

Rory smiled and disappeared behind the curtain again, heading up the stairs while her mother watched her with concern.

The rest of the day went by without anymore dramatics. Rory and Jess got to the hospital at exactly 11:00 and spent most of the day with Richard, playing chess and reading the various books Rory had brought for him. When Luke and Lorelai arrived just after lunch, with enough food to feed a small village, the family crowded into the hospital room and had the most pleasant meal they had ever shared.

"Is it just me, or was that a completely surreal experience?" Lorelai whispered to Rory while they cleaned up.

"It was definitely weird," Rory agreed. "There was no passive aggression- at all."

"I don't know how to feel about this," Lorelai frowned.

"I think we should just appreciate it while it lasts."

"But I'm scared," Lorelai squeezed her arm.

"You're ridiculous," Rory snorted.

"What are the two of you whispering about?" Emily snapped at them. "If you have something to say, you can share it with the whole group."

"Sorry, Mom," Lorelai apologized, then turned to her daughter. "And the moment's gone."

"I told you to appreciate it," Rory mumbled.

"Rory, when do you plan on going back to school?" Emily turned to her granddaughter.

"Um, I'm not sure," Rory frowned. "I thought I'd wait and see how Grandpa was doing."

"I'm doing fine," Richard assured her. "Really, you should get back to school. This is your senior year, you must have a lot of work."

"Nothing that can't wait," Rory shook her head. "I'm here for the long haul."

"That seems very unnecessary," Emily frowned. "Honestly, what do you think you can do here, anyways? Are you a doctor, or a nurse?"

"Mom," Lorelai scolded, taking note of the panicked look on her daughter's face. "If Rory wants to stay, she can stay."

"I'm not saying that she can't. I'm just saying I don't see the point of it," Emily shrugged.

"Well if nothing else, she's very good company," Richard smiled at his granddaughter. "And a rather accomplished chess opponent."

"That last part isn't true," Rory shook her head. "I'm terrible at chess."

"Well you've certainly improved since I first taught you how to play," Richard tried to make her feel better.

"You must have really sucked before," Jess commented.

"Well I wouldn't have exactly said that," Richard shook his head. "But there was definitely room for improvement."

"Wow, Dad," Lorelai nodded appreciatively. "You should have been a writer instead of a professor, because that was a very eloquent way of getting around saying your granddaughter sucks."

"Lorelai!" Emily scolded.

"I'm not wrong," she shrugged. "I've never been the kind of mother that sugar coats. You should know what that's like."

"Okay!" Luke got to his feet. "Anybody need something to drink? Richard, can I get you some more water."

"Yes, thank you," Richard nodded eagerly.

"Great, Lorelai, why don't you come help me?" Luke grabbed her arm and lead her out of the room before she could protest.

"You're no fun," Lorelai followed her husband out.

"I just don't think Rory needs you and Emily coming to blows right now. Do you?"

"I hate it when you pretend to be the responsible one," Lorelai frowned.

"I'm not pretending."

When they left the hospital that night, Rory still hadn't eaten. When Luke handed her a plate of food at lunch, she had done nothing but push it around until everyone else stopped eating and when Lorelai had brought in a couple boxes of candy, she had simply passed them back and forth without ever actually taking any.

"Do you want something to eat?" Jess asked when they pulled up in front of the diner. "I can make you something. Or we can go to Al's."

"You want to go to Al's?" Rory frowned.

"No, but I'm willing to if that's what you want."

"How very selfless of you. I'm fine."

"You haven't eaten anything since the two bites of toast you had this morning," Jess frowned.

"I ate lunch."

"No," he shook his head. "You pushed some food around a plate until you thought no one was watching, and then you threw it out."

Rory pursed her lips and stared at her hands.

"See, I pay attention," Jess smirked. "So, food?"

"I don't want anything," she shook her head and got out of the car in the hopes that Jess would drop the subject.

"Rory, you have to eat something," Jess followed her inside and up the stairs. "Anything. Come on, I'll make you whatever you want."

"I don't want anything," she repeated. "I just want to go to sleep."

"Rory-"

"Jess!" she snapped. "I'm not hungry! Just drop it!"

"No," he stood his ground. "Rory, you need to eat something."

She ignored him, turning away and pulling off her clothes.

"Rory, in the last 24 hours, all you've had to eat is a cheeseburger and half a piece of toast. That's not healthy."

"I don't care," she pulled a t-shirt over her head and climbed into bed. "I'm going to sleep now. You can go ahead and keep having this argument with yourself if you want."

"Rory-"

"Goodnight, Jess!"

She rolled over and pulled the comforter over her head, indicating that she was done talking.

"Rory," his tone softened and he sat down on the bed beside her.

"Sleeping."

"Rory, please," he tried to pull the comforter off her head.

"Jess, just let me sleep."

If he hadn't been listening closely, he might not have noticed the way her voice cracked.

"Okay," he relented with a heavy sigh. "Okay, I'm sorry. Just sleep."

He kicked off his shoes and laid down beside her, holding her tightly. "Just sleep."


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty-Nine**

Over the next week, Rory slowly got back to normal. The nightmares didn't go away, but she had stopped locking herself in the bathroom and throwing up when they came and she was slowly cutting down on the time she spent at the hospital. When the doctor finally gave her grandfather a release date two weeks after his surgery, she agreed to go back to school.

Jess didn't leave her side once throughout those two weeks, despite her insistence that she was fine.

"Seriously, Jess!" She argued the day before she was supposed to go back to school. "I'm fine. You can go back to Philly."

"Why are you so desperate to get rid of me?" Jess crossed his arms. "Is it because you have another boyfriend to get back to?"

"Yes," Rory nodded. "I didn't want to have to tell you, but since you asked."

"Well at least I know," he shrugged. "Just be honest with me, which one of us is better in bed?"

"Ooh..." her forehead wrinkled. "That's a hard one."

"I'm hurt," Jess put a hand to his heart.

"Well, you could always try and prove your worth," Rory smirked.

"Why, Miss Gilmore, I do believe you're coming on to me."

"I might be," she shrugged. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Well it looks like I have to make sure you know there's no competition here," he pulled her towards the couch.

Rory smiled and climbed onto his lap.

"But first," he put a finger to her lips.

"Hmph," she frowned.

"Why are you _really_ so eager to get rid of me?"

"I'm not _eager_ to get rid of you," Rory shook her head. "I just don't want you to miss any more work. They need you back in Philly."

"I'm more needed here."

"I don't need you, Jess."

"Ouch!"

"You know what I mean," Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Everything is fine now, you can go home."

"I'm perfectly happy where I am," Jess shook his head. "I can hang out for a couple more days, at least until you get back into the swing of school."

"That's sweet, but you have to go back to work."

"I can do my work from here, just like you do," he argued. "In fact, I _have_ been doing it. There's absolutely no need for me to go back to Truncheon just yet."

"Other than the fact that you live there."

"Other than that," Jess nodded. "And besides that, you're here and I like looking at you."

"Well in that case," Rory smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. "I like looking at you too."

"Glad to hear it."

"Oh, good. You're back!" Paris cried when Rory and Jess walked into the apartment the next day after their visit to the hospital.

"Either that or this is a very good hologram," Rory nodded.

"I went to the Sigma Chi party without you," Paris launched right into Operation Finish Line updates. "I was going to wait, but I didn't know when you'd be back, so I decided to just go ahead and do it."

"That's fine, Paris."

"I know it's fine," the other girl frowned. "It was on the schedule. What was I supposed to do, stop my life because you were gone?"

"No, of course not," Rory sighed. "I'm glad you went. How was it?"

"Asinine. You didn't miss anything. Here," she passed Rory a file. "I wrote a summary. And here's your mail. I flagged all the bills."

"Thanks, Paris." Rory took the papers and handed them off to Jess.

"So, how are you?" Paris finally asked.

"I'm okay," Rory gave her a tight smile.

"And Richard?"

"He's doing really good. He should be going home tomorrow."

"Is he going on beta blockers?" Paris asked.

"I don't know," Rory frowned and looked over at Jess, who just shrugged.

"If he can tolerate them, he should. They reduce the risk of death following a heart attack by about 25%. Of course he'll have to make some significant lifestyle changes," Paris mused. "But just tell him that if Bill Clinton can give up cheese fries and grits, he can get by without his 5:00 martini."

"I will pass that along," Rory promised, exchanging an amused look with Jess.

"Good. I'm glad he's okay."

"Me too," Rory sighed.

"So I downloaded your reading lists, and I went to the bookstore and hid copies of your books so you wouldn't get stuck buying used ones with some idiots comments in the margins," Paris got back to business. "And I made you a copy of my notes from our History of Feminism seminar."

"Thanks," Rory took the notes and started flipping through them. "What's with the blacked out sections?"

"Well I'm happy to share what the professor had to say, but I'm not about to give you my own personal insights."

"Of course not."

"Don't give me that look," Paris crossed her arms. "If there's one thing I learned from that lecture, it's that there's not room for many woman at the top."

"Gloria Steinem would be so proud," Rory mocked.

"Whatever," Paris ignored her. "The facts speak for themselves. Nadine Strossen is the head of the ACLU, not Nadine Strossen and her best friend. Oh, we're supposed to choose a paper topic by Friday, but I'm sure you'll be able to swing an extension if you play the grandfather card."

"I don't need to play the grandfather card," Rory shook her head. "I'll pick a topic."

"Okay," Paris shrugged. "So, are you ready to trade?"

"Trade what?"

"Resumes," Paris stared at her like she was insane. "It's on the schedule. We're supposed to trade resumes today and get back to each other tomorrow morning with questions and comments."

"I forgot," Rory admitted. "I've been at the hospital for the last two weeks."

"So much for not playing the grandfather card."

"I'm sorry, Paris," Rory sighed. "I will print a copy of my resume and take a look at yours."

"By resume, you mean _resumes_ right? You should have a different one for each program."

"No, Paris, I mean resume. I've got one, take it or leave it."

"Fine," Paris huffed. "But don't blame me when they're not specific enough."

"I won't," Rory promised. "Is there anything else I need to be caught up on?"

"I think that's it," Paris shook her head. "How long is he going to be staying?"

"Nice to see you too Paris," Jess waved. "I'm only going to be here for a couple more days."

"And that's fine," Rory glared at Paris. "Isn't it?"

"I'm just asking a question," Paris held up her hands.

"Sure," Rory rolled her eyes.

Before Paris could continue arguing, Rory's phone rang and she went to hide in her room, Jess hot on her heels.

"So it's my first day back at work," Lorelai launched into her story as soon as her daughter picked up. "I've barely walked through the door at the inn and Michel announces that his dog died."

"Paw Paw?" Rory asked, gaining a confused look from Jess.

"Chin Chin," Lorelai corrected. "But it really doesn't matter. The point is that this is my first day back to work and I'm now planning a dog funeral with the world's angriest Frenchman."

"Sounds fun."

"You would think, but it's mostly been refereeing fights between him and Sookie, because Michel keeps asking her if she would do the same thing if she was throwing Davy or Martha's funeral."

"Because talking about the imaginary deaths of a pregnant woman's children is always a good idea," Rory frowned.

"Exactly. How was Paris?"

"Paris was... Paris," Rory sighed.

"So just as insane as usual?"

"Pretty much. But she takes killer notes, so at least there's an upside."

"Well that's something," Lorelai shrugged. "Okay, I have to get back to making sure Sookie doesn't kill Michel. Just wanted to check in."

"Okay, good luck," Rory hung up and flopped back onto her bed.

"What is a Paw Paw?" Jess asked.

"Michel's dog," Rory explained. "Apparently he died, and now my mother is in charge of planning funeral for him."

"What does that have to do with Sookie's kids?"

"He keeps questioning their decisions with 'what if it was _your_ kid's funeral?'"

"And Sookie and your mom are taking that really well, I'm sure."

"So well," Rory agreed. "Okay, I have to go to microeconomics in an hour... without Grandpa."

"Try not to think about it," Jess squeezed her knee.

"Because that's just so easy," she rolled her eyes. "Okay, walk me to class?"

"Sure. I'll even buy you a coffee and try to put you in an economics-y mood."

"Economics-y?" Rory grinned.

"Yeah, come on I'll tell you all about the financial situation at Truncheon," he held out his hand.

"I know everything about the financial situation at Truncheon," she pointed out.

"Alright, then you can tell me all about it, because I failed math."

Rory laughed and pulled him towards the door.

Jess utterly failed at getting her into an economic-y mood, so after leaving him at the coffee cart, she called her mother.

"Didn't we just talk?" Lorelai frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Since when is there a cut off for how much we can talk?" Rory countered. "Quick, get me in a microeconomics mood."

"Um, okay," Lorelai thought quickly. "Supply and demand, profit margins, pork bellies..."

"You had me till pork bellies," Rory shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't know," her mother admitted. "So you're going to Grandpa's class sans Grandpa?"

"Yes, and I'm kind of dreading it. I only took the class because he was teaching it, I'm not naturally econ crazy."

"Is anyone really econ crazy?" Lorelai challenged.

"Definitely. First thing I learned last semester is that people find the gross national product endlessly fascinating."

"Weird."

"Blew my mind," Rory agreed.

"So what did you do with Jess while you're in class?"

"I left him by the coffee cart and told him where the nearest library was. I'm sure he'll find a way to entertain himself."

"What if he entertains himself by finding another girl to wait by the coffee cart with?" Lorelai joked. "Then what are you gonna do?"

"Kick her ass."

"Good girl," Lorelai laughed. "Okay, microeconomics... um... Yeah, I got nothing. Good luck."

"Thanks," Rory laughed. "I'll call you later."

As she walked into the classroom, a few people made a point of saying 'hello' and asking about her grandfather before the TA approached her.

"Rory Gilmore?"

When she looked up, Rory couldn't help but get a little flustered. The man in front of her was tall and good looking. Between his tweed jacket and glasses, he was definitely the kind of guy she would have gone for back when she was single.

"Um, yeah," she tried to gather her thoughts and stop gaping at him like a preteen twit. "I'm Rory."

"Great, I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Tucker Culbertson, I'll be filling in until your grandfather gets back."

"Oh, okay. Well, hello, Professor Culbertson," Rory shook his hand.

"Thanks for the promotion," he laughed. "But I'm not a professor. I'm just a T.A."

"Oh, sorry," Rory could feel herself blush. "Not that you're a T.A. Just that I called you, um... I'm Rory."

"I know," Tucker frowned.

"Right."

"So, how's he doing? Your grandfather?"

"Great. Thanks," Rory smiled.

"I'm glad. I hear he's a terrific lecturer."

"Oh, he is," she assured him. "The best- at least in my entirely biased opinion."

"I'm with you," Tucker laughed. "I can't believe this is his first year of teaching. The syllabus he put together is fantastic, I'm looking forward to getting into it."

"Me too."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Rory," he shook her hand again.

"Yeah, well, good luck. Not that you need it," Rory hurried to correct herself. "I mean- okay, bye."

Blushing furiously at her inability to articulate all of a sudden, she turned and hurried to her seat.

When the class was over Rory left as quickly as possible, and just about body checked Jess on the way.

"Whoa!" He struggled to catch both her and the coffees he was holding. "We really need to stop meeting like this."

"Hey," Rory felt herself blushing again. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I would meet you after class," Jess reminded her. "What's wrong with your face?"

"Nothing," she frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know," he studied her closely. "You just look... you're blushing. Why are you blushing?"

"I am not," Rory blushed even deeper and grabbed one of the cups from him.

"You are," he laughed. "Are you having dirty thoughts about me to get yourself through class, because I can totally get behind that."

"I'm walking away now," she shook her head and headed for the door.

"Rory!" Tucker ran out of the classroom, waving for her to stop. "Rory, can I talk to you for a second?"

Jess watched closely as Rory's blush deepened and flooded from her face, down to her throat.

"Um, yeah," she turned awkwardly. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you could give me an idea of what you're going to tell your grandfather when you call and talk to him?" The other man asked nervously. "I want to be prepared if he decides to yell at me."

"Oh, no," Rory shook her head quickly. "No, I will have nothing but good things to say about you."

"Oh, good. Thanks," he nodded, then turned and went back into the classroom, leaving Rory and Jess alone in the hallway.

"What?" Rory demanded when she saw Jess watching her, an amused look on his face.

"You've got the hots for teacher," he laughed.

"I do not!"

"You're practically a tomato," Jess mocked her. "I bet if I you stripped here and now, the blush would reach all the way to your legs."

"Shut up," she muttered and turned around.

"Come on," Jess chased after her, trying not to laugh. "Just admit it."

"No."

"Why not? He's hot."

This comment made her stop and turn to him, a shocked look on her face.

"I can accept the attractiveness of all people," he shrugged. "Although I know for a fact that he's not really your type. You go for the brooding, punk rock, artist type."

Rory bit her lip and tried not to smile.

"Come on," Jess poked her in the ribs. "Just admit it."

"Fine," she huffed and shoved his shoulder. "I suppose that some people, apparently you included, would find him attractive."

"Almost there," Jess nodded encouragingly. "Come on."

"Okay, he's hot!" She threw her hands up in defeat. "Are you happy?"

Jess smirked and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"It's just so fun when you get flustered," he kissed her head.

"You are a twisted, sadistic man," Rory shook her head. "And I don't like you."

"You love me," he assured her. "So, want to let me buy you lunch?"

"No," she grumbled. "But I'm hungry, so yes."

"Tacos?"

"Mmm, yeah!" Rory beamed, her annoyance suddenly forgotten.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty**

In the weeks following Richard's release from the hospital, Rory did her best to visit, but she was so busy with her classes and Paris's plans that she didn't get a lot of time. Jess had gone back to Philly a few days after Richard's release, despite insisting that he could stay longer if Rory needed him.

"I'm fine!" She had pushed him out the door. "Go back to Philadelphia and do your damn job!"

"You know, I'm getting the feeling you don't want me here anymore," Jess frowned.

"Of course I want you here," Rory glared at him. "But you need to go home and do your job, and I need to finish school. Now get lost!"

She kept pushing him down the hall, both of them trying not to laugh.

"Just promise me you're not going to run off with the Econ T.A."

"You're ridiculous," Rory laughed. "You're the only person I'm running off with."

"Really? Because from here, it seems like you're trying to get rid of me. Seriously, we're getting very close to the stairs."

"I might not be running off with you right _now_ ," she amended. "But I will the next time I get a chance. Unless the T.A make a move, of course."

"Well as long as you're being practical about it," Jess rolled his eyes.

Rory smirked and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him towards her and pressing her lips to his.

"I'll see you soon," she promised.

"Not soon enough," Jess kissed her back. "Come on, who needs a college diploma?"

"I do." She kissed him one more time, then pushed him away. "Now scram."

Jess laughed and backed towards the stairs.

"Alright, I'm going."

"I love you."

"You have a very strange way of showing it," he frowned.

"I promise to show you how much I love you the next time I'm in Philly," Rory leaned over the railing.

"I'm sorry, is this your way of trying to make me leave?" Jess stepped back towards her.

"If you don't leave, I'm not going to show you anything," she threatened.

"Fine, just know that I will be holding you to that promise."

"I would hope so," Rory grinned. "Call me when you get there."

The first week without Jess was hard. While he had been there, she'd been able to sleep through the night for the most part, her nightmares becoming less and less frequent, but once he was gone, they came back with a vengeance. Every night, as soon as she closed her eyes, she was back in the lecture hall watching her Grandfather fall down over and over again. And if it wasn't the lecture hall, she was in the back of the ambulance watching the paramedics shock him. The first few nights she was able to get back to sleep, but as time wore on it got harder and harder. By the second week she couldn't sleep for more than an hour or two at a time, before her nightmares jolted her awake. Every night the nightmares came and she would sit up in a panicked cold sweat, before being hit by a wave of nausea that had her dashing through the apartment to throw up.

Paris had turned out to be a Godsend. Being a light sleeper, she always heard Rory running to the bathroom and got up to keep her company. When Rory had finished emptying her stomach, she always found Paris sitting in the living room with a two cups of tea and a movie on the TV. She didn't ask what was wrong after the first night, just sat quietly and kept Rory company until she was ready to go back to her room.

Rory was trying to keep her inability to sleep hidden from Jess, but she was sure he knew something was wrong. She was always exhausted and she knew he could hear it over the phone. Whenever he asked how she was doing, however, she lied and said she was fine.

To her credit, Paris kept encouraging Rory to talk to somebody about what she was going through, but Rory ignored her, insisting that everything was fine.

"If everything was fine, you wouldn't be hanging out with me every night at two in the morning," Paris frowned when they talked about it one morning.

"Okay, so it's not _fine_ per say, but I don't need to talk to someone about it," Rory waved away her friend's suggestion. "And you don't need to get up with me. I'm a big girl."

"Maybe, but someone needs to keep an eye on you," Paris countered. "And if you won't call the 'Hemingway Wannabe' and get him back here, you're stuck with me."

"I don't need to call Jess, because nothing is wrong," Rory shook her head.

"Right, your middle of the night puking sessions are totally normal."

"You should really see a doctor about that," Doyle joined them at the table.

"I don't remember asking your opinion," Rory grumbled.

Doyle shrugged and poured himself some cereal, allowing Rory and Paris to return to their argument.

"This wasn't happening while Jess was here," Paris pointed out.

"Yes it was," Rory shook her head.

"Well it wasn't anywhere near this bad," Paris argued. "He was obviously doing something to help."

"Paris, I'm not asking him to come back," Rory got up from the table and stomped her foot petulantly. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. This will pass and everything is going to be fine."

"You keep telling yourself that," Paris nodded as her roommate walked away. "But don't come crying to me when you're so sleep deprived that you can't see straight."

"I'm sure I won't have to," Rory shot back. "You'll be right there to rub it in my face."

They had a variation of this argument every morning over breakfast for two weeks, but every night Paris continued to get up with Rory and keep her company, keeping her opinions to herself until breakfast.

When Rory went to her Grandparent's house for Friday night dinner that week, her mother immediately called her out on how exhausted she looked.

"I've just been busy catching up on all the school I missed," she lied. "I've had to pull a lot of all-nighters."

"You shouldn't work so hard, Sweetie," Lorelai scolded kindly. "You're running yourself ragged."

"I'll be okay," Rory assured her. "Once I'm caught up, everything will go back to normal."

"If you say so," Lorelai didn't look convinced, but she dropped the subject when the maid answered the door, if only because she needed absolute focus to hear what the hell the poor girl was saying.

"Am I going deaf?" Lorelai asked after she had scampered away. "I mean, her mouth was moving, but I heard nothing. Is there something wrong with my ears?"

"No," Rory shook her head. "It's definitely not your ears. The poor thing."

"God, this house is a giant Skinner box with Chippendale chairs. Hello!?" Lorelai called.

"In here!" Emily responded, her voice emanating from the living room.

"Hey, Mom," Lorelai greeted the elder woman as they entered the room.

"Hello girls," Emily greeted them from her seat on the sofa. "How are you?"

"We're good," Lorelai assured her. "How are you? How's Dad? Is he up to this, do you think?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" Emily frowned.

"Well, he just got out of the hospital last week," Rory frowned.

"Yeah, I just wonder if it's too soon," Lorelai agreed.

"His doctor said there's no reason he can't go back to his normal routine as long as he doesn't do anything too strenuous," Emily waved off their concerns. "It's not as though sitting at a table having dinner with one's family requires a great deal of effort."

"Of course not," Lorelai feigned a serious tone while raising an eyebrow to her daughter.

"He should be down by now," Emily frowned and looked over at the stairs. "Is Luke coming?"

"No, he's spending one last night with April before she leaves," Lorelai explained. "But he sends his apologies."

"Well, at least he has a good reason this time," Emily got up and made her way over to the drink cart. "Can I offer the two of you a drink?"

"Please," Lorelai nodded. "The usual- Martini up, with a twist."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Emily shook her head. "I'm not serving alcohol tonight."

Lorelai turned to her daughter, a shocked expression on her face. "I told you there was something wrong with my ears. What?!"

"I'm serving nonalcoholic cocktails only," Emily explained.

"There's no such thing as a nonalcoholic cocktail," Lorelai shook her head.

"There most certainly is," her mother argued. "It's called a Mocktail."

"You're serving Mocktails?" Lorelai repeated, obviously confused.

"Yes," Emily nodded exasperatedly. "I can offer you a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers."

"I'll have a Roy Rogers," Rory relented.

"Why not a howdy doody or a captain kangaroo?" Lorelai muttered.

"Lorelai, stop being so selfish," her mother scolded. "We're doing this for your father. After you've had open-heart surgery, alcohol is strictly verboten."

"No alcohol," Lorelai turned to Rory, a horrified look on her face. "No alcohol."

While Lorelai panicked about the lack of liquid courage available in the house, her father's nurse came down the stairs and gave Emily something else to focus on.

"Well, there you are!" She cried in annoyance. "I told you to tell Mr. Gilmore that his daughter and granddaughter were pulling into the driveway fifteen minutes ago."

"Mr. Gilmore says he's in the middle of watching golf and he'll be down as soon as he's finished," the other woman answered.

"Golf?" Emily demanded. "He's watching golf? Well, if you'd tell him we're expecting him downstairs, I would very much appreciate it."

"I'm not really sure that falls under my job description," the nurse frowned, then saw the angry look on her employers face and relented, with great annoyance. "Fine. Fine."

"Fine," Emily pursed her lips.

"Fine," the nurse repeated and turned to go back up the stairs.

"Here," Emily handed Lorelai and Rory each a drink.

"Oh, that's a strong one, Mom," Lorelai said sarcastically after taking a sip. "You know I'm driving."

"It tastes great, Grandma," Rory elbowed her mother.

"You know what else tastes great?" Lorelai asked. "Rum."

"For heaven's sake, Lorelai!" her mother snapped. "If you're unable to go a few hours without alcohol, I can send the maid out to get you a six-pack."

Before Lorelai could accept this offer, everyone's attention was drawn back to the stairs, where Richard had finally appeared, rather morosely, dressed in his bathrobe with his nurse close behind him.

"All right, I'm here," Richard grumbled at the woman. "You can put away your leash."

"Hey, Grandpa!" Rory greeted him brightly.

"Rory, Lorelai," he nodded to each of them.

"How are you feeling?" Lorelai asked.

"Like a man whose been torn away from one of the most pivotal golf matches in history," he snapped.

"If you're not up for it, we can take a rain check," his daughter offered, a note of concern in her voice.

"We don't need a rain check," Emily frowned at her daughter. "Richard, wouldn't you like to change for dinner?"

"No, if you're going to treat me like a patient, I'm going to act like a patient," he frowned. "Patients wear robes."

"All right," Emily huffed. "Fine. May I offer you a Mocktail?"

"No. I don't want a Mocktail," her husband said with a note of annoyance. "In fact, I'd like to skip 'Mocktail Hour' altogether and go straight to dinner."

"B-but it isn't time yet..." Emily started to argue, earning an angry sigh from her husband. "All right. We'll eat now," she relented. "Francette, would you please go tell Aurora to tell Stefan we are ready to have dinner served now?"

"Look, Mrs. Gilmore," Francette crossed her arms. "I have to reiterate, I am here as a medical professional, not a carrier pigeon."

"Well, as a medical professional, you should be concerned with my health," Richard offered. "And not eating isn't healthy. Nor is getting agitated. And I have to tell you Francette, I'm getting quite agitated."

"Don't threaten me, Mr. Gilmore," Francette scolded.

"It's fine. It's fine!" Emily tried to diffuse the tension that had settled in the room. "I'll go tell her myself."

She hurried off towards the kitchen while Richard was helped into the dining room, leaving Rory and Lorelai to follow.

"Wow," Rory finally spoke up.

"A six-pack sounds really good right now," Lorelai agreed before leading her daughter into the dining room.

Once they were all seated, Aurora came out with their plates, whispering unintelligibly as she set each one down, causing everyone's levels of annoyance to rise.

"Well, it's fish again," Richard observed after being served, obviously not impressed.

"It's sea bass," his wife smiled encouragingly.

"And sea bass is a fish," he said. "Hence my comment 'surprise, surprise- it's fish again.'"

"It tastes good," Rory offered.

"It tastes like fish," her grandfather snapped.

"I don't think it tastes fishy," Emily shook her head. "Sea bass is not a fishy fish. Mackerel is a fishy fish. Trout can be a fishy fish, but sea bass isn't really a fishy fish."

"I didn't say it tasted fishy," Richard said irritably. "I said it tasted like fish."

"I think it tastes good," Rory repeated awkwardly.

"You know the green beans are very green-beany," Lorelai offered. "Which is good, especially if you life green beans, which I do."

"Mmm," Rory agreed.

An irritated silence fell over the table, making Rory and Lorelai exchange confused and concerned looks.

"So, anyone see any good movies lately?" Lorelai attempted to get the conversation rolling again.

"No," her mother snapped.

"This fish is bland," Richard threw down his utensils.

"Would you like some more lemon-dill sauce?" Emily offered.

"No."

"The sauce is good," Lorelai offered.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Emily tried to smile at her daughter's attempts to diffuse the tension.

"Tart, but not too tart," Lorelai nodded.

"Stefan, the chef we stole from the Lowells, is doing a marvellous job incorporating the dietary recommendations-"

"Enough!" Richard suddenly snapped. "If forced, I may eat this fish, but I absolutely refuse to waste my time having a conversation about it. So, Lorelai, I take it that Luke had to work this evening?"

"Um," Lorelai shook her head, taken aback by her father's sudden outburst. "Um, no, he's with his daughter. She leaves for New Mexico tomorrow."

"Hm," he nodded and picked at his food again.

"Rory, how is it being back at school?" Emily turned to her granddaughter. "Are you having trouble getting caught up?"

"No," the younger girl shook her head. "Paris has been helping me out, so it hasn't been too bad."

"Well that's very nice of her," Emily nodded. "Oh, Richard, I've been meaning to tell you we've been invited to the Pearson's annual dinner party in a few weeks. I accepted, of course, and I've spoken with their chef to ensure that he knows about your dietary restrictions."

"Oh, for heaven's sakes!" Richard cried.

"Don't get angry, Richard," his wife scolded. "It's your doctor's orders, not mine."

"You know what? I'm full." Richard snapped, setting down his cutlery and getting up from the table.

"These flowers are really pretty," Rory desperately tried to distract her grandparent's, both of whom looked like they were about to blow a gasket.

"Really nice," her mother attempted to help her.

"If you'll excuse me," Richard ignored both of them. "I have to get back to my golf."

"Richard!" Emily cried as her husband shuffled away.

"Please," he snapped. "I know I've missed Jacklin's bogey on the 16th, I'm not missing his putt on the 17th. That's a famous putt, Emily."

"Wait!" She got to her feet angrily. "You're watching an old golf game?"

"It's the last singles match of the '69 Ryder Cup," Richard said, as if it meant something. "Jacklin, Nicklaus- the concession!"

"I can't believe you're watching an old golf game instead of eating-"

"Fish?" Richard interrupted.

"Dinner with your family," Emily gritted her teeth. "You already know how it's going to end up."

"Well, that never stopped people from going to see Hamlet," he snapped. "Lorelai, Rory good night."

He turned and left the room without another word, Francette trailing behind him, ignoring his wife's angry pleas to stay.

"The idea that two grown men hitting a tiny ball with stick is equivalent to Hamlet," she muttered angrily, taking her seat again. "Ridiculous! But can I say anything? No! Because I can't agitate him."

"It is ridiculous," Lorelai agreed. "Golf is much more like Richard III. You know, they're all hunched over."

Rory smiled appreciatively at her mother's joke, but the eldest Gilmore ignored them.

"I'm going to go get him," she threw down her napkin and stormed up the stairs.

"Okay," Lorelai sucked her teeth once her mother was out of earshot. "So I'm thinking this was a bad time to make the house dry."

"I guess," Rory nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen either one of them this angry."

"They're definitely getting up there," Lorelai agreed. "You'd think Gran had come back from the dead to haunt Mom, or something."

Rory cringed at the possibility. "Grandpa seems really down," she frowned.

"He's just mad because he can't jump back into his usual stuff," Lorelai assured her. "He'll be fine in a couple weeks, once he can get back to work and stuff."

"I guess," Rory shrugged.

Emily returned to the table a few minutes later, even angrier than when she had left. As soon as she had finished her food, she dismissed the girls, saying she had a headache.

"Do you want to come back to Stars Hollow for the night?" Lorelai offered once they were outside. "Get some fish free dinner at Luke's?"

"I would, but I've got a lot of work to do," Rory lied. "I should really get back to school."

"I think you're working yourself too hard," Lorelai frowned. "Come on, one night off won't kill you."

"Maybe not, but it _will_ kill my grades. Sorry."

"Alright," Lorelai shrugged. "But you can't say I didn't warn you."

"I very rarely have," Rory assured her. "I'll talk to you later."

When she got back to the apartment, however, Rory didn't even attempt to do her homework. Instead, she started and stopped four different books, unable to focus on any of them, until Jess called.

"It was unnerving," she said as she explained what had happened at dinner. "The only time I've ever seen my grandfather in a bathrobe, was when Gran died and he didn't stop crying for days at a time. And I don't know how, but this was worse. It was like he had given up."

"He's probably just feeling a little out of it," Jess assured her. "Maybe he's a little depressed. I'm sure it will get better as he gets back on his feet."

"I guess."

"So, did you go back to Stars Hollow for the weekend? It sounds pretty quiet over there."

"No, Paris and Doyle are just out with some of Doyle's friends. I have a paper that I want to work on this weekend."

"And you couldn't do it at home?" Jess frowned, not believing her feeble excuse.

"It just seemed easier to do it here," Rory tried not to sound too guilty.

"If you say so."

"I do. So, what did you do today?"

Jess chatted aimlessly about Matt and Cynthia's latest argument and the meeting he'd had with Chris's latest poet turned novelist. As usual, his voice lulled her to sleep despite her desperate attempts to keep her eyes open.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty-One**

When Rory woke up, her body covered in sweat, a tight, panicked feeling in her chest and bile rising in her throat, it was only ten o' clock, but she knew she wouldn't sleep again that night.

As she ran for the bathroom, she realized that she was still alone in the apartment and her anxiety levels rose even more. Until then, she hadn't realized how much she needed Paris to keep her company. With no one waiting for her outside to give her any kind of comfort, Rory found herself locking the bathroom door and curling up on the floor, letting the panic consume her. Her breath came in rapid pants, verging on hyperventilating and her body shook uncontrollably.

She felt like she was going crazy, unable to control herself as she cried and gasped for breath, clenching her hands into tight fists and wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep herself still. Nothing seemed to be working, though. She reached up and started grabbing fistfuls of her hair, wrapping it tightly around her fingers, relishing in the pain it caused on her scalp- anything was better than the feeling of being stuck in her skin while something else seemed to control her. As she focused on the pain in her scalp, Rory noticed that her breathing started to slow, eventually returning to normal. It felt like hours before she stopped shaking, tears pouring down her face uncontrollably, though she knew it was probably only a few minutes. Even when the panic attack- at least she was pretty sure that was what it was- had passed, she continued to lay on the bathroom floor, curled up in a tight ball. She didn't know how long she stayed there, but the next thing she knew Paris was banging on the door demanding to know if she was still alive.

With great difficulty, Rory pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned over to unlock the door. As soon as the lock clicked, Paris threw the door open and stormed in.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Just hanging out," Rory wiped her eyes.

"On the bathroom floor?" Paris crossed her arms. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

"When?"

"I don't know," Rory shrugged. "We don't keep a clock in here."

"It's one in the morning," Paris offered. "And judging by the look on your face, you've been in here for far too long."

"I think I woke up around ten," Rory muttered.

"And you've been lying on the floor in here ever since then?"

"It would appear so."

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous," Paris sat down across from her. "Why have you been sitting in here for so long?"

"I had a panic attack."

"You should have called," Paris frowned. "We would have come back."

"I'm not a child," Rory said petulantly.

"You could have fooled me," Paris countered. "You've never had a panic attack before, have you?"

"No."

"So things are getting worse," Paris concluded.

"I'm just not used to being alone," Rory shook her head. "It's fine."

"It's not fine," Paris snapped. "These nightmares are taking over your life. As your best friend, I'm concerned. And as a pre-med student, I say you need help."

"I'm fine, Paris." Rory pushed herself onto her feet and started to push past Paris, but she was pushed back.

"You're not fine. You need help."

"What do you want me to do, go see a psychiatrist?"

"God, no," Paris shook her head. "I've been in therapy since I was eight and it's done nothing for me. I want you to call Jess. Or Lorelai. Or your friend Lane. Anyone! Call Daddy-Diner, if that's what you want."

"I'm not calling Jess," Rory shook her head. "Or my mom, or anyone else. I'm fine."

"Rory, I love you, I really do," Paris grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're my best friend in the entire world, and I'm more than happy to sit with you every night when you have a nightmare, but obviously you need more than just me."

"You're my best friend too," Rory tried to smile. "And I don't need anything other than you. I just had a bad night."

Paris looked like she wanted to keep arguing, but something seemed to stop her. Maybe Rory looked even more pathetic than she thought. Whatever was keeping her friend quiet, however, she really didn't care. All she cared about was crawling into her bed and getting away from all the noise that seemed to be filling the apartment.

"Okay," Paris sighed and let go of her. "You look exhausted. Panic attacks take a lot out of you. I'm going to give you a sleeping pill."

"I don't want a sleeping pill," Rory shook her head adamantly. "Sleep is what caused this whole debacle."

"It'll knock you out and you won't dream," Paris promised. "Come on."

She took Rory by the arm and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"Paris-" Rory started to argue, but Paris cut her off.

"Rory, we're not arguing about this. You haven't slept more than twelve hours in the last week, you're exhausted and you're making yourself sick. So take the damn pill!"

Rory's mouth fell open slightly at Paris's overly aggressive order, then nodded and held out her hands to accept the pills and a glass of water.

"Get some sleep," Paris smiled warmly once Rory had taken the pills. "I promise you'll feel better in the morning."

What she didn't tell her was that she was calling in reinforcements.

When she was sure Rory was asleep, Paris snuck into her room and took her cellphone. She knew when to admit defeat, and it was time to call in reinforcements. If Rory wouldn't do it, she would just have to take matters into her own hands. Completely ignoring the fact that it was two thirty in the morning, Paris scrolled through Rory's contacts until she found Jess's number and dialled.

"Hello?" He answered on the third ring, groggy and annoyed.

"Jess, it's Paris," she stated in her usual matter-of-fact tone.

"Paris?" Jess asked, obviously confused.

"Yes, Paris. Rory's roommate, remember me?"

"You're pretty hard to forget," Jess said sarcastically. "Why are you calling me at... two thirty?"

"Because your girlfriend is a stubborn idiot."

"Rory?" He seemed more awake suddenly. "What's wrong with her? What happened?"

"Look, I don't want to get into it over the phone, but I think she needs you to come back for a bit. She's having a really hard time," Paris said. "She's just been too stubborn to admit it, but things have gotten worse and... long story short, you should come."

"What? What are you talking about?" Jess demanded. "What do you mean she's having a hard time? Why didn't she tell me?"

"Because she's stubborn, keep up," Paris rolled her eyes. "Look, she's been having nightmares ever since you left, they're really bad, and I think they're really messing with her head. I've been trying to help her, but... tonight was bad, okay? She needs more than just me."

"Okay," Jess nodded. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Where is she now? Put her on the phone."

"I gave her a sleeping pill. She should be out for at least nine hours. She's okay right now, though."

"You're sure?" Jess asked. "You should call Lorelai, get her down there."

"She's okay for now," Paris repeated. "And she didn't want to call you, do you really think she'll take kindly to my dragging Lorelai down here at three in the morning?"

"Well if she's having as hard a time as you say she is," Jess argued.

"Then you can call Lorelai after you talk to her," Paris huffed. "All I know, is that she wasn't having nightmares when you were here and as her best friend, I can see that she needs you. If you get here and want to call in the big guns, that's your choice."

"Okay," Jess sighed. "If you're sure she'll be okay until I get there."

"I'm sure. Like I said, the sleeping pills should knock her out for a good eight or nine hours, especially since she's barely slept more than twelve hours all week, and I'll keep an eye on her."

"Okay... okay," Jess seemed to be trying to collect his thoughts. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling, Paris."

"No problem," her tone softened. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah."

Jess hung up the phone and rubbed his face quickly, trying to wake himself up and put together everything Paris had just told him- not that she had told him much. He knew he shouldn't have left so soon. He knew she was still having nightmares, that she wasn't coping, but he had let her convince him she would be okay. He had known something was off when they talked on the phone, too, but he hadn't pushed her. Now look where she was. Jess grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, his anger pouring into it. Anger at himself for leaving her, anger at Rory for not telling him that she needed help, anger at the world for doing this to her, for making her so fragile. Screaming wasn't going to help her, though, so he dropped the pillow back onto the mattress and got up to pack.

On his way out the door, Jess scribbled out a note for Matt and taped it to his door, explaining that he needed to go back to New Haven and would call as soon as he knew what was going on. He was pretty proud of himself, despite Paris's cryptic call he hadn't been panicking too much. For some reason that he couldn't explain, he felt better knowing that Paris was there to take care of Rory for him. Maybe it was because she had called him, or maybe it was because he felt like she might know what she was doing- being pre-med and all. Either way, something about Paris's existence was suddenly putting his mind at ease, and that thought panicked him more than the thought of Rory needing him. He decided to chalk it up to the fact that it was four in the morning and he hadn't had any coffee yet, and pulled off the freeway to spin through a drive-thru.

When he pulled up in front of Rory's apartment it was just past 7, so he decided to call Luke quickly and let him know what was going on.

"Luke's," his uncle grumbled into the phone.

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey, what are you doing up?"

"I've been up for hours," Jess admitted. "Paris called me around three in the morning."

"What happened?" Luke immediately asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. She was being very cryptic," Jess huffed. "The gist of the matter was that Rory's been having a really hard time since I went back to Philly last week. When she called me she said she had just given Rory a sleeping pill."

"That doesn't sound good," Luke frowned.

"I didn't think so either. I just pulled up to the building. Paris didn't want to call Lorelai though, I guess Rory's being pretty adamant about not needing any help. I just thought one of you should be kept in the loop."

"So what you're saying is that you don't want me to tell Lorelai," Luke concluded, not sounding impressed with the idea.

"I'm just saying you should let me find out what's actually going on before you worry her," Jess countered.

Luke was silent for a few seconds, then agreed. "Alright, but you call us if she really needs help."

"Of course," Jess promised.

"Okay," Luke huffed.

"I'm going to go and talk to Paris, see if I can get the real story. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Make sure to tell Rory we're here if she needs us."

"I will. Bye, Luke."

Jess hung up and headed inside, past the drug dealers that never seemed to leave the building vestibule, and up the stairs to face Paris.

He almost had an aneurism when he knocked on the door and heard Paris call back that it was open. He was even more shocked, when he opened the door to find Paris and Doyle doing yoga in the middle of the living room.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong apartment," he dropped his bag on the floor and crossed his arms.

"Very funny," Paris said calmly. "We're almost done. There's coffee in the kitchen."

"Ya, I really don't want the rear view of this," Jess frowned and waved his hand at Doyle, who was doing some sort of awkward stretch.

"You could probably do with some yoga," Doyle ignored the dig. "It was a circuitous path that led us here, perhaps we're meant to bring _you_ into the light."

"Just because it's early and you look pathetic, doesn't mean I won't beat the crap out of you Doyle," Jess frowned.

"I signed up for the class to bull shit my way through med school interviews," Paris explained as if Jess cared.

"Plus, we thought it would be funny to goof on," Doyle added.

"But it seems that the great cosmic goof is on us," Paris concluded. "I've been trying to get Rory to join us, but she's stubbornly close-minded. You should really tell her how good it would be for her."

"I'll be sure to do that," Jess lied. "Until then, why don't you stop folding yourself up like a pretzel and tell me what the hell is going on."

Paris let out an annoyed sigh, but stood up straight and motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"Coffee?"

"Ya," Jess nodded and sat down at the table. "So, seriously Paris, what's going on?"

"I told you, she's having nightmares," Paris set two mugs down and sat down across from him.

"Everyone has nightmares," Jess was starting to get annoyed. "Could you be a little more specific."

"Calm down, Kerouac," Paris frowned. "I'm getting there. So when you left it wasn't too bad, she was sleeping for an acceptable amount of time every night and by the time she woke up, I had already got up to work at my craft table. But between then and now it's been getting progressively worse. This week she's only been sleeping for about an hour, maybe two, each night and then she wakes up and throws up for a while."

"Every night?" Jess frowned.

"Yep."

"And you only just called me today?! This has been going on for weeks, and you didn't think to call me until now!?"

"Hey, I've been telling her you call you since you left!" Paris argued. "And I've been keeping an eye on her. She wakes up, runs into the bathroom to throw up, then I get up and make some tea and sit with her for the rest of the night."

"So you haven't been sleeping either?" Jess frowned.

"I haven't slept through the night since I was nine," Paris waved him off. "I've just been waking up a little earlier."

"Well, that's nice of you."

"Rory is my best friend," Paris frowned at him. "Of course I'm going to get up with her."

"I didn't mean to say you wouldn't," Jess huffed. "I'm just saying it's nice."

"Whatever," Paris rolled her eyes. "Anyways, so she sleeps for a bit, has a nightmare, gets up, throws up, then we sit and watch movies or something until Doyle and I start to do our yoga. I've been trying to keep her from drinking coffee at night, but she's probably drinking way too much during the day to try and stay awake."

"She wouldn't be Rory if she wasn't," Jess agreed. "Does she talk about the nightmares?"

"No," Paris shook her head. "I asked her a couple times, but she won't talk about it. I'm assuming it has something to do with Richard, though."

"Probably. Okay, so this has been going on for a couple weeks and you only called now, so what was so bad about last night? I talked to her around 9 and she was fine."

"She must have fallen asleep just after you talked and woke up with a nightmare, like usual, but Doyle and I were out," Paris explained. "She usually doesn't go to bed until later, so I didn't think it would be an issue, but when we got back around 12:30 she was in the bathroom. I didn't hear her throwing up, though, so I figured she was just getting ready for bed. When I hadn't heard any movement after half an hour, though, I started banging on the door and when she finally let me in she was just lying on the floor all pale and sweaty. I grilled her for a while and figured out that she had a pretty massive panic attack and had been lying on the bathroom floor for about three hours, completely out of it. That was when I made her take the sleeping pill and called you. I've never seen her like that before, I figured it was time to call in reinforcements."

"You think?!" Jess felt himself getting angry again.

Rory had been suffering with this for weeks, and he hadn't seen it. He had known something was off, that she wasn't herself, but he had just written it off as readjusting to school and worrying about her grandfather's recovery. To find out that she had been hiding this from him felt like a knife to the heart. He knew she was just trying to keep him from worrying, that this was just what she was like, but it still hurt to know that she had kept her pain from him. That she had been forced to deal with this by herself. Sure, she had Paris and that was great, really, Jess was happy that _someone_ had been there for her, but he and Paris had very different ways of dealing with things. Paris was happy to stay up and keep Rory company, to reassure her that she wasn't alone, but Jess had been helping Rory through stuff like this for years. Even in high school, there had been nights when she was freaking out about school or college, and she would call him in the middle of the night. Whenever she did, he would sneak out of the apartment and over to her house, climbing through the bedroom window and just holding her while she lay in bed and slept again. He knew that that was what she needed, that it calmed her knowing he was there. It was what he had done every night that Richard was in the hospital, the nightmares would come and she would wake up in a panic, but as soon as he pulled her close she would calm down. She needed pressure, she needed warmth and the sound of someone's heartbeat to tell her that she wasn't alone, that everything really was okay, and she hadn't had that. Instead, she'd had a cold tile floor to lie on and nothing but her own thoughts running through her head- which was never a good idea.

"It's not your fault," Paris interrupted his thoughts.

"What?"

"I can see your brain running a mile a minute," she explained. "You're not as cryptic as you think. And it's not your fault. You think this is happening because you left, against your better judgement, but that's not true. You and I both know how stubborn Rory is. She's fiercely independent, she doesn't know how to let other people take care of her until she hits rock bottom."

Jess had to admit that Paris was right, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty.

"I knew she was off," he shook his head. "I knew something was wrong and I let it go."

"She wouldn't have told you anyways," Paris reassured him. "Hell, the only reason I know is because I'm a light sleeper. If I hadn't been awake to hear her, she never would have told me. What matters is that we're both here now."

Jess rubbed a hand over his face and nodded, trying to get a grasp on everything Paris was telling him.

"Okay," he finally sighed. "Okay. How long has she been asleep?"

Paris turned and looked at the clock on the wall, doing some quick addition in her head. "About six hours, maybe a little more."

"How long do those pills last?"

"It depends," Paris shrugged. "I mean, she was pretty exhausted, so I'd say around 9 hours, but after a while the effects might wear off and the nightmares will come back. She could wake up any time now really, but it's Saturday, so at least she doesn't have any classes to worry about."

"Okay," Jess nodded. "I'm gonna go sit with her until she wakes up."

Paris nodded and got up to refill his coffee cup before he left.

"Hey, Paris?"

She stopped and turned around.

"Thank you. For calling, and for being there for her."

"What are best friends for," Paris shrugged, a small smile on her face.

It was rare that Jess saw this version of Paris, the calm and collected friend, but he had to admit he liked it. Despite all her psychotic tendencies, Paris was a good friend, and Jess made a mental note to make more of an effort with her when he was at the apartment. For all her crazy, she was still pretty cool.

 **A/N: Hi everyone! I just wanted to put a quick note here to say that what I had Paris say about seeking medical help to deal with panic attacks and nightmares is completely untrue. I 100% support getting help for any and all mental illnesses (which include chronic nightmares) I personally have been in therapy for over a year to treat a severe anxiety disorder. If you are having panic attacks or severe anxiety, please seek professional help. I can personally promise you that it really will make your life better.**

 **Okay, public service announcement over. Thanks for reading! Hope you're still enjoying!**

 **-Em**


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty-Two**

As quietly as he could, Jess opened the door to Rory's room and slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Rory was laying in bed, sleeping peacefully, a blanket thrown over her- presumably by Paris- and her hair covering her face. Jess smiled at the dishevelled look she was rocking, then leaned over her and softly pushed the hair off of her face.

"What the hell am I going to do with you?" He whispered sadly.

Her only response was a slight twitch.

Jess watched her closely for a minute to be sure the twitch wasn't the beginnings of a nightmare, then grabbed a book from one of her shelves and sat down in her desk chair, moving it over to the bed.

True to Paris's predictions, the medication seemed to start wearing off about an hour later, and he could see her starting to roll around and thrash in her sleep. Abandoning the book he had been reading, Jess crouched beside her bed and tried to wake her, stroking her hair and squeezing her hand.

"Rory," he called her name softly. "Rory, wake up. It's just a dream. Rory. Ror, can you hear me?"

His answer came when she sat up suddenly, crying out.

"Hey, hey!" Jess tried to get hold of her, but she pushed him away and dashed out of the room.

"Morning!" Paris called as she ran.

Jess sighed and got up to follow her, only to find that she had locked the door behind her.

"Yeah, she does that," Paris appeared behind him.

"Rory," Jess knocked on the door. "Ror, it's me. Let me in."

"It won't work," Paris shook her head. "Trust me, there's not a chance in the world she's letting you into that bathroom."

Jess glared at the woman he had been so fond of less than an hour before and knocked on the door again. "Rory, please!"

Paris shrugged and left him alone, heading back to whatever voodoo she had been doing with Doyle- Jess was sure he'd heard them chanting a few minutes earlier.

"Rory, open the door," he knocked again.

He couldn't hear any noise coming from the other side of the door, not even the faintest sounds of vomiting, and that made him even more worried than usual. Something was wrong.

"Paris!" he called. "Do you have a key for this lock?"

"She'll be out in a minute," she called back.

"Paris," Jess stomped over to the living room. "Something is wrong."

Something about the look on his face, or his tone, must have convinced her that he was right, because she nodded and headed into the kitchen, returning a minute later with an allen key.

"You just have to jimmy it a little," she explained.

Jess nodded and hurried back down the hall, pressing his ear to the door in the hopes of getting some sense of what she was doing. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard her gasping.

"Rory, I'm opening the door," he called to her.

When there was still no response, he picked the lock and threw the door open to find her curled up on the floor, hyperventilating and sobbing.

"Rory!" He dropped to his knees beside her and pushed the hair away from her face. "Rory, look at me!"

She shook her head, unable to breath or focus her eyes on anything. She felt like her head was spinning around like she was in The Exorcist, her entire body was shaking again and it wouldn't stop.

"She's hyperventilating," Paris stood in the doorway over Jess. "Doyle! We need a paper bag!"

"Got it!" Doyle called back.

"What do I do?" Jess asked, panic filling his voice.

"Talk to her," Paris instructed. "Try coaching her into breathing."

"Rory," he said softly. "Rory, listen to me, you need to take deep breaths, okay? Like me, follow my breathing?"

He looked at Paris questioningly, obviously unsure of what he was saying, but she nodded encouragingly, breathing dramatically. He followed her lead, taking deep breaths, hoping Rory would copy him. When she didn't, Paris stepped in with the paper bag Doyle had brought her, pushing Jess out of the way.

"Rory, listen to me," she said authoritatively. "You're going to sit up, and you're going to breath into this bag. Okay?"

Rory didn't respond, so Paris took hold of her shoulders and hoisted her up aggressively.

"Come here," she ordered Jess. "Hold her up."

Jess nodded and sat down behind her, cramming himself between the tub and the toilet and pulling Rory to rest against his chest. Paris held the bag to Rory's face and moved her hands up to hold it.

"Deep breaths," she instructed. "In," she breathed deeply. "And out."

She repeated this for a few minutes, watching closely as Rory's breathing started to slow.

"Good," she smiled encouragingly. "Good. Just keep doing that, okay? In and out. In and out."

Rory gave a small nod, a terrified look in her eyes.

"You're okay," Paris reassured her. "It's all good."

Another small nod.

As her breathing returned to normal, Jess felt his own panic dissipate. He looked down at Paris and realized that she was looking at him now, not Rory.

"It's fine," she met his eyes. "Everything is fine."

He nodded quickly, then turned his attention back to Rory, who had put the bag down and had started to shake.

"It's okay," he repeated Paris's reassurances. "I've got you."

"Okay, there's a lot of people in here," Paris got to her feet. "I'm going to go back out here, okay?"

Rory nodded, still unable to form words, desperately wringing her hands.

"It'll pass," Paris promised her. "The tingling? It'll be gone in a couple minutes. You're okay."

She nodded to Jess, ensuring him that he had this covered, then ducked back into the hallway, pulling Doyle with her.

As soon as Paris was out of sight, Rory started sobbing uncontrollably, to the point that Jess thought he was going to have to make her breathe into the bag again.

"You're okay," he held her as tightly as he could without leaving bruises, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, I've got you. I'm here. You're okay."

Rory shook her head quickly and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him closer. Jess followed her cues and held her tighter, one arm wrapping around her shoulders, the other around her waist. He was sure that he was leaving bruises on her, but the pressure seemed to help and she was holding his arms in place as tightly as she could since she was still shaking, so he didn't loosen his hold.

"I've got you," he repeated. "You're okay. I've got you."

The sobs eventually died down, until the only sound in the bathroom was Jess's voice and the occasional whimper. Jess slowly loosened his hold on her and started rubbing circles over her hip bone like he did when she was nervous.

"Jess," she suddenly choked out his name as if she had just realized he was there, and for all Jess knew she had. He had never seen her so out of it, it was like she was in some sort of trance. Paris had stuck her head in again a few minutes earlier and quietly explained to Jess that this was all just normal aftermath of a panic attack and that she would be okay soon. This explanation hadn't done much to make him feel better, but at least he didn't feel the need to call 911 anymore.

"I'm here," he assured her.

She nodded again and let her head fall back against his shoulder. As she did this, Jess could feel the tension in her body release, she didn't seem rigid in his arms anymore and she had stopped shaking.

"Do you need anything?" He asked. "Do you want some water?"

"No," she gripped his arm tightly, her entire body tensing again.

"Okay.." Jess took her hand in his, squeezing tightly. "I'm not going anywhere."

She squeezed his hand back and nodded, relaxing again. Jess let her sit quietly for a couple more minutes, until he was sure that she had calmed down completely, then suggested they get up off the bathroom floor.

"Why don't we go to your room?" He offered. "You'll be a lot more comfortable there."

"I don't want to sleep again," she shook her head, panic creeping back into her voice.

"You don't have to," Jess promised. "I just thought you'd be more comfortable there, than on the floor beside the toilet."

She seemed to think about this for a moment, trying to decide if he was lying about making her sleep, then nodded and started to get up. Jess followed her lead, catching her when she stumbled, obviously light-headed.

"Whoa!" He pulled her into his side. "You okay?"

"Dizzy," she muttered.

"Paris says that's normal," Jess assured her. "Come on."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her down the hall to her bedroom.

"Are you sure you don't want some water or something?" He asked as they walked.

"I'm sure."

Jess shrugged and led her into her room and over to the bed, pulling down the comforter and motioning for her to get in.

"You too," she pulled his hand.

He shrugged and crawled into the bed beside her, letting her curl into his side as he massaged her scalp softly.

"What are you doing here?" She finally asked.

"Word on the street was that you were holding out on me, so I decided to come visit."

"Paris?"

"She's a bit of a whistle blower," Jess agreed.

"When did you get here?"

"A couple hours ago," he shrugged. "You were still sleeping."

"When did Paris call you?" Rory frowned.

"Around two in the morning."

"I'm sorry," she cringed. "She shouldn't have done that."

"I'm glad she did," Jess assured her. "Ror, why didn't you tell me you were having such a hard time?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

"You've got to stop worrying about that," he shook his head. "Rory, all I want is to be able to take care of you, and I can't do that if you don't tell me when there's something wrong. Why did you let it get this bad?"

"It wasn't this bad until yesterday," she tried to make excuses. "I just had a bad night."

"You should have called me," Jess scolded her softly. "I could have helped you."

"Well you're here now," she shrugged.

"That I am," he sighed and kissed the top of her head. "You're a lot of work, you know that?"

"I've been told," she smiled softly.

"So, do you want to tell me what's been going on?"

Rory looked down at the comforter, nervously fisting the fabric. Jess reached down and covered her hands with his.

"Rory, come on," he encouraged. "You can tell me anything."

"I know," she nodded slowly, then took a deep breath and started to explain. "I can't stop seeing it," Rory spoke quietly, as if she was afraid that if she explained what she saw too loudly, it would happen. "Every time I close my eyes, I watch him die. I'm sitting on the floor in the lecture hall, or in the back on the ambulance, or in the hospital, and he just keeps dying and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Jess listened quietly, squeezing her hand to encourage her to keep going. She had been bottling this up for weeks, she needed to get it all out.

"At least, that's what it was before."

"And now?"

"It's not just Grandpa anymore," she admitted. "It's everyone. My Mom, Luke, you, Grandma, Lane, Paris. Every single person that means anything to me, I've watched them die in every single way possible, and every time I just have to stand there and watch."

Jess pulled her closer, seeing that she was starting to get upset again.

"Do you know how many times I've had to watch you die?" She choked. "How many times I've had to stand behind some sort of invisible barrier, screaming, trying to get to you?"

"Hey," Jess held her even tighter. "I'm right here. None of that has ever happened."

"It feels like it has," Rory said shakily. "I just have this constant feeling that someone I love is dying. Every single time the phone rings, I feel like my life is about to come crashing down around me. I'm afraid that Luke is calling to tell me there was some sort of accident, or Chris, or Mom."

Her breathing was starting to get shallow again and Jess was quick to quiet her.

"Hey, hey, deep breaths," he reminded her. "No one is dying, everyone is totally fine."

"You don't know that!" She snapped, her panic suddenly replaced by anger. "There is no possible way that you could know that! You're not God, Jess!"

"You're right," he relented. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"You don't know everything!"

"Of course not. But what I do know, is that if anyone was sick or hurt, someone would have called."

"What does it matter if they call?" Rory demanded. "It's not like we could do anything about it!"

She pulled away from him and got up, starting to pace.

"Rory," Jess sat up and watched her. "Rory, listen to me."

"I don't want to."

"Too bad. You can't control everything, and I know that you hate that, that it goes against all your instincts, but that's how it is."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"No, I'm just stating a fact."

Rory stopped pacing and glared at him.

"Don't look at me like that," Jess scolded.

"How would you like me to look at you?" she frowned.

"I'd be a fan of your not looking like you're about to throw a chair at me."

"I was actually thinking my Women's Studies textbook would work well."

"Whatever," Jess shrugged. "Either way, I'd prefer you not throw things at me."

Rory glared at him for another second, then turned and sat back down on the bed.

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," she sighed.

Jess pulled her into his side. "You're not losing your mind," he promised. "You're sleep deprived and you're going through a hard time, but you are definitely not any crazier than usual."

"He's right," Paris suddenly appeared in the doorway. "That's just a side effect of the panic attacks. I promise, it'll pass."

"See, the resident mental case has spoken," Jess joked.

"Thanks for that," Paris pursed her lips. "But he's not wrong."

Rory nodded slowly.

"It's going to be okay," Jess assured her.

"If you say so."

"We do," Paris nodded. "Now come eat something."

"You know, before he got here you were so nice," Rory frowned at her roommate. "What happened?"

"He's here to be nice," Paris shrugged. "I'm here to give you medical advice."

"Awesome," Rory rolled her eyes and made her way to the kitchen, Jess following behind her.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty-Three**

Jess waited until after breakfast to broach the subject of calling Lorelai, figuring it would be easier to have a real conversation about it after Rory was fed and caffeinated. His hopes were dashed, however, when Rory immediately told him that if he called her mother she would waste no time beating him with every single textbook she could find.

"Rory-"

"Jess, I'm not kidding!" She glared at him. "My mother has more than enough to deal with right now, I don't need her worrying that I'm about to be committed."

"She wouldn't, since you're not going to be," Jess argued.

"That's what it feels like!" Rory snapped. "So until I've got this under control, you tell her nothing. Understood?"

The look she was giving Jess told him that she was absolutely serious about this decision and there was no way he could convince her otherwise, so he nodded.

"And don't go telling Luke either," Rory added. "The man is physically incapable of hiding anything from her."

Jess nodded again, but apparently he was incapable of hiding anything too, because Rory's glare intensified.

"You already told him," she accused.

"I may have called him while you were sleeping," Jess evaded the question.

"Call him back and tell him I'm fine."

"But-"

"Jess, so help me!"

"Okay," he held up his hands in surrender. "I'll call him."

"Now," Rory passed him the phone.

"Now," he agreed.

Under Rory's annoyed and watchful eye, Jess called the diner and told Luke that everything was fine. He wasn't sure that his uncle believed him, but at least he'd tried.

"Happy?" He asked when he had finished the call.

"No, but it's better than nothing," Rory frowned. "I'm going to go shower."

While she was gone, Jess got a panicked call from Cynthia demanding to know what had happened.

"Why didn't you wake us up!?" She demanded.

"It was three in the morning. If I had woken you, you probably would have killed me."

"Not if it was for Rory!" Cynthia cried.

"Nice to know where your priorities are," Jess said sarcastically.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the shower."

"Is she okay? What's going on?" Cynthia demanded.

"She's okay," Jess assured her. "She's just been having a hard time."

"What do you mean she's having a hard time?" Cynthia asked. "What's wrong with her."

"I guess she's been having nightmares a lot, so she hasn't been sleeping and in the last day or two it's gotten worse and she's started having panic attacks."

"That doesn't sound okay," Cynthia frowned.

"I guess not," Jess admitted. "She insists she's fine, though."

"I _am_ fine," Rory walked back into the room, a towel wrapped around herself, at the same time Cynthia said, "Because she's stubborn."

"Who are you talking too?" Rory asked, looking for some clothes.

"Cynthia," Jess held out the phone. "She wants to talk to you."

"Of course she does," Rory sighed and took the phone, dropping into her chair. "Cynthia, how are you?"

"You are an idiot!" Cynthia cried. "You know that, right? You are a stubborn, aggravating, headache causing idiot!"

"It's good to hear from you too," Rory ignored her accusations. "So, what's new?"

"I'm going to kill you the next time I see you. Are you listening to me?" Cynthia continued ranting. "Death, painful and bloody."

"Uh-huh," Rory rolled her eyes.

"I swear to God, Rory!"

"You're an atheist," Rory pointed out calmly, which only seemed to annoy Cynthia.

"Why wouldn't you tell us you needed help!? You're my best friend, I would have been there in a heartbeat."

"Because I'm fine."

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Jess and Cynthia both yelled.

"Put Jess back on the phone," Cynthia huffed. "You're not listening to me."

"See you later," Rory smiled and passed the phone back to Jess, who was glaring at her.

"See what I mean?" He asked Cynthia.

"Bring her back here," Cynthia ordered.

"I'll try," Jess promised. "I was about to talk to her about that."

"Good. I'll talk to you later." Cynthia hung up abruptly, making Jess laugh. There were days when that woman could give even Paris a run for her money.

"So," Jess turned back to Rory, who had dropped her towel and was pulling on some clothes.

"Hmm?"

"You're not going to distract me," he smirked.

"I'm not trying to," Rory lied, not looking at him.

"Sure you're not," Jess snorted. "Why don't we go back to Philly for a few days."

"I have school."

"It's Saturday."

"But I have classes on Monday," Rory pointed out.

"Monday is two days away," Jess shook his head. "Don't you want to go home for a couple days."

"No."

"Liar," he accused. "Come on, just a couple days. Just to give yourself a break from the stress around here."

"I can't go to Philly, Jess," Rory frowned. "I can't be that far away."

"Ror, everything is fine here," Jess tried to reassure her. "Staying here is just making you more stressed. If anyone is going to get sick, it's going to be you."

She didn't seem very convinced, but Jess wasn't about to give up.

"If anything happens we can be back here in a matter of hours- not that there's going to be any need."

"Jess-"

"Rory," he got up and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "You're going to send yourself into some sort of breakdown if you don't take a step back from all this. Come home with me for a couple days, just a couple days. You need a break."

"It would be nice to sleep in our bed again," Rory sighed.

"Right?" Jess nodded encouragingly.

"Fine," she finally relented. "But only a couple days. I'm coming back Sunday night."

"Absolutely," Jess nodded.

Rory frowned at him for another second, then nodded.

"So, do you want to pack?" Jess prompted.

"I guess."

"This will be good for you," Jess smiled encouragingly. "Besides, Cynthia misses you and I'm pretty sure she's ready to drive down here and kidnap you if you don't come back soon."

Rory gave him a small smile and started throwing some clothes in a bag.

"Stop smirking like that," she scolded.

"You're not even looking at me," Jess scoffed. "How could you possibly know that I'm smirking."

"I know you," she turned and pursed her lips. "So wipe that stupid look off your face and go tell Paris that we're leaving."

"Yes, dear," Jess continued smirking, then ducked when Rory threw a copy of Swann's Way at his head.

"So I'm going to take Rory back to Philly for a couple days," Jess announced as he entered the living room.

"Good," Paris nodded. "A change of scenery will probably do her good."

"That's what I figured," Jess nodded.

"Here, take some of the sleeping pills I gave her," Paris got to her feet and headed for the kitchen. "Just in case."

"She really hates taking sleeping pills," Jess shook his head. "They mess with her head too much. I'm pretty sure the only reason she wasn't all loopy when she woke up earlier was because of the panic attacks."

"Are you sure?" Paris frowned. "What about some Atavan?"

"Geez, Paris!" Jess glanced over her shoulder into the cupboard. "How many pills do you need?"

"You never know what life is going to throw at you," she shrugged.

"Rory! You're aware that you live with a drug dealer, right?" Jess called to his girlfriend.

"If she was really a drug dealer we wouldn't live in such a crappy apartment," Rory pointed out, entering the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Stop trying to drug me, Paris."

"I'm just offering some help," her roommate said innocently. "What's wrong with that?"

"It's illegal," Jess offered.

"Oh please," Paris waved him off. "It's not like I'm some junkie off the street, I'm a medical student, I know what I'm talking about."

"You can't even read a chart," Rory pointed out.

"Charts and medications have nothing to do with each other," Paris argued. "I mean, it only takes like a year to become a pharmacist. A child could do it."

"Right," Rory nodded skeptically. "Either way, I'm not taking anything, so you can go back to hoarding your pills for your med school interviews."

"Fine," Paris shut the cupboard door. "But don't say I didn't offer."

"I won't," Rory promised. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure," Jess nodded. "If you are."

"Have a good weekend," Paris pulled her friend into a hug. "Call if you need anything."

"I will," Rory smiled. "Thanks Paris. For everything."

"Any time. See you later, Kerouac."

"You'll see me Monday, Paris," Jess promised.

"No you won't," Rory shook her head.

"We're not arguing about this," Jess glared at his girlfriend. "I'm coming back with you and staying for a while. You don't get an opinion on the matter."

"Oh really?" Rory crossed her arms. "And how exactly do you expect to keep me from having an opinion? Are you planning a lobotomy? Or possibly some sort of neural toxin?"

"Science fiction doesn't suit you," Jess frowned. "Of course you have an opinion, I just don't care what it is, because I'm coming back."

"You can't come back if I don't let you in."

"Paris?" Jess turned to the roommate.

"I'll let you in," she promised, then turned to Rory and shrugged. "Sorry, but he's right."

"I hate you both," Rory huffed and stomped towards the door. "Are you coming or not?"

"See you Monday," Jess smiled and waved at Paris before grabbing his own bag and following Rory downstairs to his car.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty-Four**

When they pulled up in front of Truncheon, Cynthia came tearing out of the building and ran for the car, wrenching Rory's door open.

"There is something very wrong with you!" She scolded, then pulled Rory out of the car and into a hug.

"Leave her alone, Cynthia," Jess frowned.

"No! Someone has to shake some sense into her!"

"I'm fine," Rory tried to reassure her friend.

"Jess ran out of the house at three in the morning for no good reason, then?" Cynthia crossed her arms. "He overreacted," Rory shrugged.

"No I didn't," Jess shook his head, joining them.

"Pick a side, Jess!" Rory snapped at him. "Either I'm a mess and Cynthia should be shaking some sense into me, or you're both overreacting and I'm fine. You can't have it both ways."

"Sure I can," Jess ignored her outburst. "Now come on, it's freezing out here."

Rory rolled her eyes and headed for the door, leaving Jess and Cynthia to follow her.

"Okay, only one of us can be mad at her," Jess muttered as they walked.

"Fine, I call dibs," Cynthia glared at him. "You be the nice one, I'll be the one that tells her how stupid she is for not calling."

"How about you be the one that keeps their mouth shut?" Jess snapped.

"Excuse me?" Cynthia stopped and grabbed his arm.

"She doesn't need you yelling at her," Jess stood his ground. "When she woke up today, I spent an hour sitting on the bathroom floor with her while she literally fell apart in my arms, over and over again. I don't care how many times she says she's fine, you didn't see her. I've never seen her so scared before and yelling at her isn't going to help anything, so back off for a while, okay?"

Cynthia glared at him, her lips pulled into a tight, angry line and he could tell that she was biting her cheek to keep from screaming at him, but after a minute she nodded.

"Fine."

"Thank you."

"Would you two stop whispering about me and get inside," Rory suddenly called from the doorway.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, you know!" Cynthia shot back.

"Usually I would believe that, but in the last twenty-four hours everyone seems to have forgotten that," Rory pointed out.

"Rory!" Matt ran over as they walked inside. "What are you doing here? I thought Jess was going to New Haven this weekend."

"He did, and then he dragged me back here," she put on a smile and hugged him.

"Sweet!" Matt beamed. "We've missed you around here. How is everything? How's your Grandfather?"

"He's good," Rory continued smiling, though Jess couldn't help but notice that it didn't seem as sincere anymore. "He's home and recovering, driving my grandmother nuts."

"That's great, we were all really worried."

Rory nodded, then turned and made her way to the stairs without another word, leaving Matt very confused.

"Okay, good talk," Matt frowned and looked to Jess for an explanation. "Is she mad at me?"

"She's just having an off day," Jess shook his head.

"Oh, okay," Matt nodded. "As long as it's not just me."

"It definitely isn't," Jess assured him.

"Yeah, she yelled at him outside a minute ago," Cynthia agreed.

"What's going on?"

"She's been having a hard time since Richard's heart attack," Jess tried to explain. "I guess it's gotten worse in the last couple weeks, and in the last day or so it reached a tipping point."

"Is she going to be okay?" Matt asked, glancing worriedly between Jess and Cynthia- who looked like she was having a hard time keeping her mouth shut.

"She just needs some time," Jess nodded. "That day messed her up more than she's willing to admit."

"It would mess anyone up, watching their grandfather have a heart attack," Cynthia shrugged.

"It wasn't just that," Jess sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Cynthia turned to face him.

"Look, you can't tell her I told you," Jess rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But when he had the heart attack, she had to give him CPR and then they lost him for a minute on the way into the hospital."

"Oh my God!" Cynthia gasped. "No wonder she's having a hard time!"

"Exactly," Jess nodded.

"Well, whatever we can do, just let us know," Matt offered.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you guys later," Jess clapped him on the back and headed for the staircase, following Rory upstairs.

When he got into the apartment he found her curled up in their bed, her clothes discarded and replaced by one of his t-shirts, talking to her mother on the phone.

"No, everything is fine," she was saying. "Jess just convinced me that I could do with a break from school... I know that's what you've been telling me, but you're a lot less convincing than he is... I'm not being dirty!"

Jess snorted and dropped onto the bed beside her, knowing very well the direction their conversation had just taken.

"Mom, I've got to go. I was just calling to check in... Yes I know I saw you yesterday... Whatever, I'm hanging up now. Bye!" Rory chuckled and ended the call, then carefully set her phone on the bedside table.

"Everything good?" Jess asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Apparently Liz, TJ and the baby have moved into the apartment over the diner for a few days, something about moths."

"Awesome," Jess frowned. "In other words, we're going to have to perform some sort of cleansing ritual the next time we sleep there. You'd better start reading up on how they used to disinfect houses that were hit by the plague."

"You're in a very dramatic mood today," she observed. "Is there any particular reason, or are you just trying to keep things interesting?"

"Well I couldn't let you be the only one trying to spice up our lives," Jess shrugged.

"Hmm," Rory nodded.

"So... is there any particular reason you've decided to hole up in bed?"

"It looked comfy and I don't feel like wearing pants."

"Fair enough," Jess shrugged.

"Can you pass me my laptop? Just because you dragged me out of New Haven, doesn't mean I'm going to ignore my school work."

"Of course not," Jess rolled his eyes. "Because that would be utter madness."

He leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed Rory's computer bag, passing it over. "Want some lunch while you work?"

"I guess," she shrugged and pulled up the paper she was working on for Econ. "If you're having something."

"Any requests?"

She shook her head and pulled out a pair of headphones, plugging them into her laptop.

"Good talk," Jess rolled his eyes and left her to her work.

When he came back a few minutes later with sandwiches, Rory gave a short nod of thanks, but didn't look away from her work.

Jess knew that she was purposely ignoring him, but he decided to just let her be. She seemed fine, and he didn't see any reason to bother her, so he sat beside her with his own laptop and worked.

"You don't have to watch me, you know?" Rory spoke up after a while.

"I'm not watching you," Jess pointed out. "I'm just sitting beside you."

"It feels like you're watching me."

"You're paranoid," he shrugged. "I'm just sitting here, working."

"If you say so."

They fell back into silence until Rory's stomach started to growl and Jess noticed the time.

"Geez!" He saved his work and shut his laptop. "It's already 7."

"No wonder I'm starving," Rory frowned. "Did we even eat lunch?"

"I did," Jess glanced over at her bedside table. "Yours is sitting right there."

"Huh," Rory looked over at the plate. "How did that get there?"

"I put it there about 6 hours ago," Jess rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go make some dinner."

Rory frowned at him, obviously confused by the statement.

"Okay, _I'll_ make dinner and you can watch," he amended.

"That seems like a far better plan," she nodded.

"Come on," Jess chuckled and held out his hand.

While he made dinner, Rory sat on the counter watching, occasionally handing over ingredients or utensils, and singing along to the Clash CD that was playing on the stereo. She had to admit that it felt good to sit and watch him cook- it felt normal. They had spent so many nights like this when she had first come to Philly, and she had always found it comforting- like she was finally home. She was sure that was why Jess had decided to cook that night, instead of going out or ordering pizza, even though it was later that they usually ate.

"What?" Jess interrupted her thought process and she realized that she had been staring at him.

"Just thinking about how much I like you," she smiled.

"Oh, okay. Carry on," Jess shrugged and turned back to the stove, making her smile even wider.

When he finally finished dinner, they sat down on the couch and started flipping channels, arguing about what to watch for a few minutes before finally settling on a Buffy marathon.

Rory started getting tired around ten, but she was doing her best to ignore the feeling, trying to focus on the show. Jess had noticed, however, and was keeping a close eye on her. When he noticed her eyes starting to drift closed every once in a while, he turned off the TV and suggested they go to bed.

"I was watching that!" She complained.

"You've seen it before."

"And you point is?" Rory frowned up at him.

"You were falling asleep."

"I was not," she shook her head quickly. "I'm wide awake. I'm five by five."

"You're full of shit," Jess snorted. "Come on."

He got up and held out a hand, waiting for her to take it.

"I don't want to," she crossed her arms petulantly.

"Rory," Jess frowned.

"Jess," she copied him.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Jess sighed dramatically, analyzed the situation, smirked and grabbed her arms before she had time to think, pulling her forward and then over his shoulder.

"Hey!" She screamed, caught completely off guard. "What the hell?!"

"You were being difficult," Jess shrugged. "This seemed like the simplest solution."

"Put me down," Rory attempted to wriggle her way down, but Jess held on tightly and started walking towards the bedroom.

"Jess!" She smacked his ass as hard as she could, but ended up hurting her hand more than him. "Ow!"

"Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" Jess chuckled.

"I hate you."

"You love me," Jess dropped her onto the bed, smirking.

"I don't appreciate being man-handled," she frowned.

Jess raised an eyebrow in challenge of this statement, forcing Rory to bite her lip to keep from giving him the satisfaction of a smile. "I don't like being man-handled like that," she corrected.

"If you say so," he shrugged. "I'll be back in a minute."

He turned and headed for the bathroom, leaving Rory alone to take in her surroundings.

She didn't know why she felt the need to assess her situation, she had been sleeping in this room for over a year, it was as much home to her as her room in Stars Hollow or the apartment she shared with Paris. She knew every inch of the room by heart, she could have drawn it from memory, but for some reason it was making her nervous- even anxious. In the last year, not much had changed in the room. The piles of books that lined the walls had grown, and the amount of papers covering the floor had deteriorated since Jess had finished his book, but everything else was the same, so she didn't know why she was pulling her knees up to her chest and trying to remember how to take deep breaths.

"You okay?" Jess walked back into the room and saw her curled into a ball, seemingly staring at the wall.

"I- I don't know," she admitted.

Jess frowned and rounded the bed, kneeling in front of her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, brushing some hair away from her face.

"I don't know."

"Are you worried about having another nightmare?"

"Maybe," she gave a small shrug. "I don't know."

Jess nodded and stroked his thumb over her cheek in an attempt to calm her. "Don't worry, I'm going to be right here the entire night."

Rory nodded, but didn't seem to relax at all.

"Is there something else bothering you?"

"I just feel... strange," Rory shook her head.

"Strange how?"

"Like something is different," she shrugged. "But nothing is."

Jess nodded, trying to understand what she meant.

"I don't know what's wrong," Rory huffed. "I just know something's not right."

"Okay," Jess nodded. "Well, what can I do to make it better?"

"I don't know," she shook her head angrily. "I don't even know what's wrong!"

She was getting frustrated with herself, angry tears had started pricking the corners of her eyes and her fists were clenched angrily.

"It's okay," Jess tried to comfort her.

"No it's not!" She cried, tears falling.

"Rory," Jess took her face in his hands, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Shh, you're okay."

"No I'm not!" She tried to pull away from him. "I'm scared of lying in my own bedroom for God's sakes! I'm being stupid and ridiculous."

"Shh," Jess shook his head. "That's not true at all. You're stressed and scared. There's nothing stupid or ridiculous about that."

Rory didn't seem to believe him, but at least she didn't argue.

"Move over," Jess poked her hip a couple times until she scooted towards the center of the bed, giving him room to lay down beside her. Once he was laying down, she moved back towards him and rested her head on his chest. When her tears stopped and her body relaxed, Jess looked down at her and smiled. "Feel better?"

"I missed this," she sighed.

"Me too," Jess ran a hand up and down her back.

They lay quietly for a few minutes, until Rory started to shiver and Jess forced her to get under the blankets.

"Go to sleep. I'll be right here."

Rory stared at him nervously for a few minutes, obviously forcing herself to keep her eyes open, then shook her head.

"I don't want to sleep."

"I'm right here," Jess repeated, rubbing calming circles over her hip in a calming motion.

Almost an hour passed before she finally relented and let herself drift off, Jess's arm wrapped tightly around her, keeping her safe.

When her nightmare woke her a few hours later, Rory made her usual dash to the bathroom to empty her stomach, but before she could close the door, Jess was behind her.

"Nice try," he pulled her hair back as she dropped to her knees, rubbing circles on her back. "You're okay. I've got you."

For once, Rory didn't even bother trying to push him away. Instead, she relished the comforting feeling of having someone there to take care of her. Maybe she really had been wrong to try and fight this on her own. It had been minutes since her last nightmare, but she already felt better knowing Jess was with her.

"You okay?" Jess asked when she finally leaned back against him.

Rory nodded, panting heavily.

"You want some water?"

She shook her head. "I just need a minute."

"Okay," Jess nodded and sat quietly with her for a few minutes, until she got up and made her way over to the sink to brush her teeth.

"Now what?" Jess asked when she was done, leaning against the door frame.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to try going back to sleep?" Jess asked. "Or do you want to do whatever it is you and Paris usually do?"

Rory bit her lip nervously, but she had to admit she didn't feel as terrified at the idea as she usually did.

"I think... I think I can go back to bed," she nodded. "I don't know about sleep, but bed sounds good."

"Okay," Jess nodded and held out his hand.

Rory took it, reluctantly, and followed him back to bed, curling into his side and listening to his heartbeat in her usual attempt to keep herself calm.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty-Five**

Rory was shocked when she woke up the next morning and realized she had slept for another five hours.

"Morning," Jess smiled down at her.

"Hi," she smiled back.

"You seemed to sleep okay," he observed.

"I didn't even realize I fell back asleep," she nodded. "You didn't slip me another sedative, did you?"

"Nope," Jess shook his head.

"Huh," Rory frowned.

"Huh, she says," Jess rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," she grumbled. "I need coffee."

Jess smirked and followed her out of bed, into the kitchen, where he leaned against the counter and watched while she made a pot of coffee and toasted a couple Pop Tarts.

"You're being creepy," she told him, not turning around.

"What?"

"You're watching me. It's creepy."

"It's endearing," Jess corrected her. "I'm in complete and total awe of your beauty and the way you float around the kitchen."

"Don't try and get poetic with me," Rory scoffed.

"I'm not trying," he argued. "It's just the way I am. It's not my fault you fell in love with a writer."

"And God is punishing me for it," she shot back, grinning.

"Ouch!" Jess planted his hands on the counter on either side of her, trapping her in his arms and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Now you're just being mean."

"Karma's a bitch," Rory shrugged.

"When was I mean to you!?" Jess demanded.

"Yesterday."

"I was not mean to you!" Jess scoffed. "I did nothing but take care of you, you nutcase!"

"See what I mean!" Rory turned to face him, trying not to laugh. "There you go, calling me names. That's mean!"

Jess sighed dramatically and shook his head, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.

"Fine, I'm sorry," he kissed her temple. "Better?"

"Maybe," she smirked and turned to pour herself a cup of coffee and grab a Pop Tart.

"That's all I get?!" Jess cried dejectedly.

"For now,"she shrugged. "At least until I've had some coffee."

"Good, because I seem to remember a few promises that were made the last time we were together, and you have yet to deliver."

"Ha!" Rory laughed. "Aren't you cheeky."

"I'm just trying to keep you honest," he shrugged.

"Sure," she smiled and shook her head. "Maybe I'll go hang out with Cynthia this morning. She seemed to have a lot to say to me yesterday."

"Try it," Jess challenged. "See how far you get."

Rory grinned sheepishly and sipped her coffee. "Maybe later."

"Hmm, that's what I thought."

When they finally left the apartment and ventured downstairs, Rory was shocked when Cynthia didn't start yelling at her again.

"What's wrong with you?" She frowned at the other girl.

"What are you talking about?" Cynthia asked, not looking away from the books she was shelving.

"Yesterday you couldn't stop coming up with things to yell at me about, and today, nothing? What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on," Cynthia shrugged. "I just don't feel the need to yell at you today."

"Jess told you," Rory crossed her arms.

"Told me what?"

"Don't try to play innocent with me," Rory pursed her lips. "You and I both know what Jess told you."

"Okay, fine," Cynthia relented. "But in his defence, he was worried about you and didn't think my screaming at you was going to help things."

"Uh-huh," Rory rolled her eyes.

"And I guess he's right, but you still should have told him what was going on. You went through a lot."

"I know," Rory huffed. "Trust me, I've been hearing it from Paris for weeks. I know I should have called."

"So why didn't you?" Cynthia turned away from her shelving, giving Rory her full attention.

"I just figured it would pass," Rory shrugged. "I mean, everyone has bad dreams. How pathetic and childish would I have sounded if I called and told my boyfriend I needed him to come back because I had a nightmare?"

"But that's not what it was," Cynthia tried to make her feel better. "Was it?"

"No," Rory sighed. "I guess not. But I thought I could deal with it on my own."

"But you don't have to."

"I know."

"Was it better last night?" Cynthia asked. "Having Jess there?"

"Yeah," Rory refused to meet her eyes. "It was a lot better. I actually got back to sleep again."

"So are you willing to admit defeat?" Cynthia tried to joke.

"Not yet," Rory pursed her lips again. "But I'm willing to accept that having Jess around helps."

"That's better than nothing," Cynthia smiled. "Just remember I'm always here if you want to talk about it. Or if you just want some company."

"I know," Rory smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Cynthia pulled her into a quick hug, then turned back to her shelving while Rory went to sift through all the crap that had been dumped on her desk since her last visit.

"Okay, I know I say this a lot," she turned to address the other employees, her voice rising over the music playing and the people chatting. "But just because I'm not here, doesn't mean you can use my desk as a dumping ground! Jesus Christ!"

"Don't look at us," Terry, one of the girls they had hired to help out, spoke up, pointing between herself and her fellow employee Mitch. "We don't go anywhere near the desks."

"Oh I know," Rory assured them, turning her fury to Matt and Chris, who were both shrinking back towards the stairs. "Freeze!"

"It was him!" Both boys cried, pointing to each other.

"What are you, five?" Rory frowned. "Get your asses over here!"

Terry and Mitch watched in amusement as she ripped the boys a new one, poking their chests and pushing their work back into their arms while lecturing them on responsibility and doing their jobs.

When she had finished, both boys looked terrified and slightly amused, and Rory was red in the face and ready to pull her hair out.

"STOP DUMPING YOUR SHIT ON MY DESK!" She finished, turning on her heel and stomping back up the stairs.

"Is it just me, or is she scarier than usual?" Chris turned to Matt when she was gone.

"Jess says she's suffering from sleep deprivation," Matt mused. "Maybe that's it."

"No, she just likes yelling at you," Jess joined them, an amused look on his face.

"Hey, you dump shit on her desk too," Chris reasoned. "Why don't you get yelled at?"

"She has more important things to yell at me for than dumping my extra work on her desk," he shrugged.

"Fair enough," Matt agreed. "But how about a little head's up before she comes back next time, so we can avoid the yelling? That girl is scary."

"Tell me about it," Jess laughed and headed for the stairs. "But it's fun watching her yell at someone whose not me."

"Glad we can help!" Chris called after him sarcastically.

After her usual screaming match with the guys about dumping all their crap on her desk, Rory took the work that actually belonged to her upstairs and started to sort through it, setting aside things that she should probably get done sooner rather than later.

"You really don't have to worry about that stuff," Jess joined her. "You should just be focusing on graduation."

"I don't mind," she shrugged up at him from her spot on the living room floor. "It's nice to have something to do other than filling out job and fellowship applications."

"If you're sure," Jess frowned.

"I am." Rory continued to focus on the work in front of her, not really paying attention to Jess, until she noticed that he was still watching her. "Yes?"

"Nothing," he shook his head.

"Liar."

"Seriously!" Jess held his hands up. "I just like watching you work. It's not like you don't watch me when I write."

"I guess," she narrowed her eyes at him for a minute, then turned back to her work.

After a while, Jess picked up his laptop and turned his focus to his own work. He had been toying with a couple ideas for another book and was in the middle of deciding which one was going to pan out best. It wasn't until Rory finished deciding what to take back to New Haven with her that he realized how much time had passed.

They had been working for almost four hours, lunch time had passed long before and both their stomachs were grumbling.

"This is getting to be a problem," Rory frowned, dropping onto the couch and putting her head in his lap. "We've really got to stop skipping meals."

Jess chuckled and put his laptop down to give her more room. "We're not skipping, we're just late."

"Music to every girl's ears," Rory chuckled, making Jess frown. "It's a pregnancy joke, Sweetie."

"Oh," he nodded uncomfortably. "Right."

"Are you blushing?" Rory smirked.

"No."

"You are! You're getting all squirmy!"

"I am not," he shook his head.

"Do you have something you need to tell me?" She joked. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"Ha ha," Jess rolled his eyes. "What does your schedule look like tomorrow?"

"Nice segue," Rory snickered. "I have Microeconomics at two, nothing else."

"Do you really need to go to that?" Jess asked. "I mean, wouldn't you rather spend another day here?"

She seemed to weigh this idea in her head. It _would_ be nice to spend another night or two in their bed, away from everything else. She had to admit, it had been easier to sleep there. But she didn't want to let herself fall behind. She had already missed so much school this semester, she didn't want to let everything build up beyond what she could handle. On the other hand, though, it was only Microeconomics, a class that she really didn't care about.

Deciding that she would rather get a couple more nights of sleep, Rory relented and nodded.

"I guess it won't kill me to miss one class."

"Good," Jess smiled. "Now that that's out of the way, how about lunch?"

"Lunch sounds great."


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter Fifty-Six**

Jess spent three weeks in New Haven, but it was well worth it. As time passed, Rory's nightmares got less violent and then less frequent, until the last week Jess stayed she didn't have any nightmares at all and was sleeping through the night again. Jess was worried about leaving again, but Rory convinced him that she really was fine this time.

In that time, he had also convinced her to tell Lorelai what was going on, which seemed to help a lot. Rory had been reluctant to explain what had been happening to her mother, but it seemed like once she had gotten it all out in the open, things started to get a lot better. It was after she told Lorelai that the dreams started to dissipate and she was able to start sleeping through the night.

Lorelai did her best to help, making sure to call her daughter once or twice a day to reassure her that everyone was fine and there was nothing to worry about and giving her someone else to vent to, besides Jess and Paris.

Cynthia was also making a point of calling or texting every day, just to check in and reassure her that everything in Philly was fine too.

Slowly but surely, Rory's fears were starting to dissipate. She knew that they weren't going to disappear altogether, but at least they weren't consuming her anymore. When she told Jess to go home, she was confident that she was going to be okay on her own again.

In those three weeks, they also visited Stars Hollow for Lane's baby shower, which Rory had been planning for the last month. While she was there, Jess had returned to Philly for a few days, knowing that she was in good hands staying with Luke and Lorelai.

He got back just in time for the shower, and was met by Rory and Lorelai at the diner.

"Great, you're here!" Rory hugged him quickly, then took his hand and started pulling him down the street.

"Hi, where are we going?" Jess asked, jogging a couple steps to keep up with her and Lorelai.

"To get Lane," Lorelai said.

"Isn't she at the party?" Jess frowned.

"Not yet," Rory shook her head. "She had a fight with Mrs. Kim and then there were contractions and she's on bed rest, so we had to do some quick thinking and Mom came up with a genius idea and here we are."

"Sure," Jess nodded, not following his girlfriend's train of thought in any way, shape or form.

"Hurry, we're going to be late!" Rory tugged his hand to make him go faster. "How are your shoes, by the way? Good traction?"

"What?" Jess frowned.

"He's a man," Lorelai shrugged at her daughter. "He'll be fine. Right?"

"I have no idea," he shook his head.

The conversation came to a halt when they arrived at Lane and Zach's apartment and found Lane lying in a bed on wheels in the driveway.

"What the hell?" Jess muttered, completely confused.

"I told you, she's on bed rest," Rory explained. "We had to make a few adjustments. Come on."

She pulled him over to the bed and took up her position on one side, ready to push.

"Everyone set?" She asked, looking around at Zach, Lorelai, Jess and Mrs. Kim, who were all standing around the bed.

"Ready," they nodded.

"Lane?" Rory turned to her friend.

"I'm good," she grinned. "Hi, Jess."

"Hey," Jess nodded, still very confused.

"Alright, let's go!" Rory cried.

All together, they began pushing the bed down the driveway and through town towards Miss Patty's studio. As they pushed, Mrs. Kim walked ahead of them, yelling at cars to stop and ensuring that Lane was comfortable.

"Hold it!" She scolded them as they walked. "Too fast!"

"Mama, I'm fine!" Lane assured her. "Hey, this is fun. Don't they push a bed through the streets in the opening credits of The Monkees?"

"I'm pretty sure it was a bathtub," Zach said.

"Actually it was both," Lorelai corrected them. "Davy's in the bed and Peter's in the bathtub."

"Are you sure?" Zach frowned. "I could have sworn-"

"Oh Zach, you don't want to go head-to-head with her about 'Monkees' trivia," Rory interrupted him while Mrs. Kim yelled at another car.

As they approached the studio, they spun the bed around before pushing it up the ramp Luke had built that afternoon and into the building, where the party was in full swing.

Once Lane was settled, Rory went off to cover her hosting duties, making sure everyone was having a good time, while filling Jess in on the events that had led to the party move.

"So I guess sometimes it pays off to be nuts," Jess nodded appreciatively when she had finished her explanation.

"It really does," Rory laughed. "Come on, let's get some food."

As the party progressed, Rory let her mother take over hosting and settled onto the bed with Lane, Zach and Jess.

Around the time that the second round of food was coming out, Rory pulled a chair up beside the bed to stand on and got everyone's attention.

"Hi, everyone!" She called, keeping one hand on Jess's shoulder to keep her balance. "I don't want to interrupt the fun, I just wanted to thank you all for coming to this- somewhat unconventional- baby shower. Which actually seems pretty perfect, since when do Lane and Zach do anything conventional?"

The crowd laughed and applauded in agreement.

"I've known Lane for- what has it been?" She turned to her friend. "17 years?"

"Yeah," Lane agreed.

"And... I'm just sick of her already," Rory joked. "No, actually, I just love you and Zach so much, and I can't wait to meet these boys. So thank you all so much for coming. Keep having fun, eat, drink and keep decorating those onesies!"

She finished her speech and hopped off the chair, dropping back onto the bed beside Lane while everyone cheered and applauded.

"Thanks, Rory," Zach beamed at her. "This party rocks!"

"Well we wouldn't have a party without my Mom," Rory shrugged. "I planned, she executed."

"You both rock," Zach nodded.

"Well, how often does a girl's best friend have twins?"

"Just once, let's hope," Lane laughed.

"Yeah, no kidding," Zach agreed. "You want a drink, Babe?"

"Maybe a lemonade," Lane nodded.

"Coming up," Zach nodded and headed to the refreshment table, Jess following him to give the girls a few minutes alone.

"Seriously," Lane turned to Rory once the boys were gone. "Zach's right. This party is amazing. Everything you guys did- truthfully, I didn't think it would happen."

"Well, the whole bed rest thing threw a wrench in the plan," Rory agreed. "But, as Jess pointed out, being insane helps conquer all challenges."

"Plus the fight," Lane nodded.

"Well, that really _was_ all Mom," Rory shrugged. "She was the one who brokered peace."

"Hard-core," Lane agreed, then took on a nervous, serious tone. "Listen... here's the thing. My kids are gonna need that, too. You know, when they're hiding bibles and can't stand me. So, I was wondering, would you be their Lorelai Gilmore? I guess that's the right term for it."

"Really?" Rory started to tear up, smiling brightly.

"I can't think of anyone better for the job," Lane nodded. "Plus, you've already got the name."

"I'd love to!" Rory pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you."

The rest of the evening was spent eating and generally having a good time. It wasn't until the end of the night that Rory got a chance to tell her mother about Lane's request. They were standing outside, looking at the collage of pictures they had put together of Lane and Zach when they were kids, most of the pictures featuring both Rory and Lane.

"So, Lane asked me to be her kid's Lorelai Gilmore," she said nonchalantly. "Like you were to her."

"Oh!" Lorelai smiled emotionally.

"Yeah," Rory smiled. "Big shoes to fill."

"Luckily we have similar feet," Lorelai smiled encouragingly, wrapping an arm around her daughter and sighing.

"What?" Rory frowned.

"It's nothing," Lorelai shook her head.

"Come on," Rory prodded.

"I just think my first pancake turned out pretty darn good," Lorelai beamed and kissed the side of her head.

"Hey," Zach suddenly appeared beside them. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was just wondering if we should bring the cake out. Lane's getting that low blood sugar look in her eye."

"Oh, yeah," Rory nodded. "Let's do that."

She turned and followed Zach inside, leaving her mother to continue looking at the pictures nostalgically.

"Seems like yesterday she was taking up three tables in the diner with those giant books of hers," Luke suddenly joined his wife.

"Hmm," Lorelai smiled.

"Yep," he nodded. "She was something. _Is_ something."

"She sure is," Lorelai smiled and leaned against him, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders. "So, did you get the diner closed up?"

"I did," he nodded. "And I had my weekly April call."

"How is she?"

"Good. I told her about my idea for going on a trip together."

"And?"

"She didn't seem as excited as I was," he admitted.

"Oh," Lorelai frowned. "Well, you guys can talk about it when she comes down next month."

"I guess."

"Hey," Lorelai noticed how down he seemed and turned to face him. "I'm sure she'll be happy to go on a trip or something, but I think what's more important to her is just being with you. She just wants to spend time with her Dad. And trust me, as the mother of a kid who barely ever saw her father, she doesn't care where that is. She just wants you."

"Yeah," Luke's mood seemed to lighten. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right," Lorelai smiled.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter Fifty-Seven**

It was almost a month before Rory got a chance to hang out with her mother again, when the older woman insisted on taking her shopping for a 'Proper Newspaper Woman Suit'. Unfortunately, the shopping trip was more of a guilt session over Rory's inability to attend their surrogate Mother/Grandmother, Mia's wedding.

"It's not that I don't want to go," Rory argued as she turned in front of a mirror, inspecting one of the suits she had decided to try on. "I would like nothing more than to celebrate Mia's wedding, but I just can't drop everything and run off the North Carolina right now, I have way too much work to do."

"But Moonpies!" Lorelai argued.

"Mom," Rory scolded, disappearing into the changing room with another outfit.

"I know. I know. End of the semester coming up, lots of work to do."

"Not lots, tons!" Rory corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, it's just..." Lorelai trailed off emotionally.

"It's jut what?" Rory sighed, knowing she was being baited.

"It's just a shame to miss the wedding of a woman who meant so much to you."

"Mom, I talked to Mia!" Rory argued. "I apologized profusely. I told her it was simply impossible for me to drop everything now and go to North Carolina."

She exited the dressing room to look in the full length mirror. "No, right?"

"No," her mother agreed.

"Yeah. Anyways, she totally understood."

"Well, of course she understood," Lorelai frowned. "She understood when I was 17 and I arrived at the inn, holding a little baby in my arms in the pouring rain."

"As long as you're not milking this," Rory said sarcastically, disappearing back into the changing room.

"And she understood when you broke that teacup of hers, with the English rose pattern when you were four," Lorelai continued.

"Okay, Mom," Rory rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I think that was an antique, wasn't it? But she understood."

"Hello, Statute of Limitations," Rory huffed.

"You know why?" Her mother ignored her. "Because she is an understanding, kind and loving woman who loves you- that's cute," she commented on the suit Rory was now wearing.

"Yeah?" Rory frowned, turning to see the suit in profile.

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded.

"I don't know if 'cute' is what I'm going for on an interview for a newspaper," Rory mused.

"Worked for Brenda Starr," her mother shrugged. "And Lois Lane."

"So if I get a job as a journalist in a comic strip, this is the one."

"Oh, do you remember when we used to do road trips when you were little," Lorelai returned to her guilt tripping. "And we'd play I Spy?"

"Yeah," Rory agreed.

"And you used to say, 'I spy something with four wheels.'" And I'd go, 'is it a cow?' Duh, cause that's funny and fun."

"Mom," Rory frowned.

"Road trips are so fun," she continued.

"They are," Rory agreed. "But I just don't feel like I can go, especially after falling so behind after Grandpa's heart attack, with all the sleeping issues and stuff."

"I guess," Lorelai frowned and returned to studying the suit. "You know, I want to take back the 'cute'. That's really growing on me. It's very you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's very grown-up," Lorelai nodded. "It reeks of gravitas. It screams New York Times!"

"Well, I'd like it to say more than that," Rory frowned. "I've applied to something like a million papers!"

"Well, you can't ask one suit to say that much," Lorelai frowned.

Rory shrugged and went back into the room to try on the next one.

"Oh! Waffle Ranch!"

"What?"

"I drove through North Carolina once and they have the most wonderful chain called Waffle Ranch," Lorelai explained.

"Mom, it's not the food that I have a problem with," Rory sighed.

"Waffle Ranch kick IHOP's butt!"

"Oh boy," Rory rolled her eyes, emerging in yet another suit.

"Oh, hey, that's a winner!" Lorelai observed.

"Yeah?" Rory spun around.

"Yeah, you'll stun any newspaper in that," her mother agreed. "But, you know, you shouldn't just take my word for it. You need a group consensus, and you know where you'd get a great group? Mia's wedding."

Rory frowned and disappeared back into the changing room, ignoring her mother's cheeky smile.

It was another two days before Rory finally cracked. She had been on the phone with Jess, telling him about the absolute chaos that was going on in New Haven as Paris was having some sort of application induced meltdown when he suggested that she take a break. She had given him the same arguments as she had given her mother, insisting that she had far too much work to catch up on, but Jess insisted.

"I think you could really use a break," he said. "I mean, you've been working non-stop since everything with your grandfather happened, you're going to make yourself sick again. And do you really want to miss Mia's wedding? I know how much she means to you."

"No," Rory sighed. "I guess not. But-"

"Rory, you deserve to take a break," Jess had interrupted. "Come on. You know you're going to feel awful if you miss the wedding."

"Okay," she finally agreed. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm a genius."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Rory snorted. "Okay, I'm going to call my mom and tell her she can stop guilt tripping me."

"Good plan," Jess agreed. "I'll talk to you later."

They hung up and Rory quickly dialled her mother's number.

"I'm in."

"Really?!" Lorelai asked excitedly. "What changed your mind?"

"Jess just convinced me how terrible I would feel about missing the wedding," Rory explained.

"I knew I liked that kid," Lorelai giggled. "Oh, this is going to be so great!"

"What's going to be great?" Emily Gilmore's voice came from the background.

"Nothing, Mom."

"Is Grandma there?" Rory frowned.

"Yes, it's our weekly Thursday computer lesson," Lorelai explained. "And let me tell you, it's no _Tuesday With Morrie_."

"Where are you going?" Emily pestered her daughter.

"Mia Halloway's wedding," Lorelai sighed. "Charlotte, North Carolina."

"I have to be back on Monday," Rory confirmed. "I can take a weekend of homework off, but I can't miss any more classes."

"No problem!" Lorelai promised. "This is gonna be a blast! Mia wants me to do a toast, and I thought I could do a poem, you know like you used to do for her when you were a kid, so you have to help me."

While Lorelai explained this plan, Emily continued muttering about something in the background, drawing Rory's attention.

"What is Grandma saying?"

"Something about a spa," Lorelai said, then turned to her mother. "We're staying in a Best Western, no spa facilities- So I'll pick you up at the crack of dawn. We'll cram everything in the jeep. No bathroom breaks along the way, okay?"

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother's thinly veiled attempts to make the trip sound terrible.

"Does Grandma want to come?"

"No. I mean, yes, but no," Lorelai shook her head.

Despite Lorelai's attempts to turn her mother off the trip, Rory was more than happy to include the matriarch, and by the end of the phone call it had been decided that she would be driving.

They left early the next morning, and the atmosphere in the car was tense, to say the least. Despite Emily's insistence on joining them, she seemed annoyed now that they were on the way and Rory had a pretty good idea why. Since she had picked them up that morning, Lorelai and Rory had talked of barely anything aside from Mia, between trying to write Lorelai's speech and reminiscing about all the time they had spent together when she was growing up, and Rory could tell it was starting to get to her Grandmother. She couldn't blame her, though, seeing as Mia had been more of a family to them than she had been for so many years. Her jealousy and anger towards the other woman was understandable.

When they got to the hotel, Lorelai accidentally let it slip that her mother had joined them when on the phone to Mia, who had insisted that Emily join them the next day. Not wanting to be rude, the eldest Gilmore had accepted, if begrudgingly, and told the girls she would pick them up at 11:00 sharp the next morning.

They were in the middle of their movie when Luke and Jess called to ensure they'd gotten there safely. Rory and Lorelai each retreated to opposite corners of the room to talk to their significant others before sitting back down and filling each other in. Lorelai had the more entertaining story, telling Rory that Lane and Zach had decided to join Luke's surrogate children club and asked him to be their sons' Godfather.

"Well, he's a pretty great Dad," Rory smiled. "I can attest to that."

"That's what I told him," Lorelai agreed. "I mean, really, what's two more grown surrogates and a couple godchildren in the grand scheme of things?"

"Exactly."

The wedding was wonderful, despite Emily's cold and obnoxious demeanour throughout the day. Lorelai had been ready to strangle the woman until Mia pulled her aside and told her that Emily had once come to visit her, asking for pictures of the girls when Rory was growing up.

"Seeing you, me and Rory must bring up painful memories for her," Mia explained. "Imagine how difficult it must have been for her to lose the two of you."

"She didn't lose me," Lorelai shook her head. "I embarrassed her, so I had to leave."

"Lorelai, even in the best of circumstances, you never want to think that your child doesn't need you," Mia argued.

"She wanted me out of the house," Lorelai explained.

"That's not the impression I got," Mia shook her head.

Later that night, while Lorelai was getting their coats, she stumbled upon Mia and Emily chatting about Rory, and found that she had an even deeper respect for the woman that already meant so much to her. After what she had told Lorelai earlier, she had thought about what her mother must have felt, seeing them with the woman that really had been a mother to them, and finally understood her attitude. But she was sure that Mia must have had similar feelings towards Emily, at least when Lorelai and Rory had first shown up. This was the woman that had fed them, housed them and cared for them for years, because Emily had pushed them away, yet there she was, making sure Emily knew that she was their family, not Mia. Watching the two women she respected so much, Lorelai felt an overwhelming lump of emotion settle in her chest, and had to take a minute to collect herself.

"You okay?" Rory asked, coming up behind her.

"Fine," Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "Just thinking. You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Rory accepted her coat and went to hug Mia, leaving her mother to follow.

As they headed back to the hotel, Luke called to tell Lorelai that Lane had gone into labour.

"That's great!" Lorelai beamed and relayed the information to Rory. "But why are _you_ calling?"

"I'm at the hospital with them."

"Look at you go, Super-dad!" Lorelai laughed.

"Well, Zach was working when Lane called and he was freaking out, so I figured it would be best if I drove them myself," Luke explained. "And Zach still seems pretty freaked out, so I thought I'd stay and give them a semi-friendly face to have around afterwards."

"Where's Mrs. Kim?"

"Oh, she's here," Luke assured his wife. "She's been scaring the staff since we got here. I said friendly."

"Right," Lorelai laughed. "Well, keep us updated! I want pictures as soon as possible!"

Pictures arrived less than an hour later, along with names.

"Steve and Kwan," Rory gushed when the pictures arrived. "They're so cute!"

"The cutest!" Her mother agreed.

They settled in for the night, Emily deciding to join them for a movie, and gushed over the babies, between musing about how freaked out Luke must have been throughout the ordeal.

"God, I can't wait for you and Jess to have kids," Lorelai suddenly snickered.

"Excuse me?!" Rory and Emily both turned to her.

"Can't you just imagine Luke's face?" Lorelai persisted. "God, it's gonna be so great!"

Rory rolled her eyes and laughed while Emily continued to stare at her daughter in disbelief. She had absolutely no desire to be a great-grandmother anytime soon.


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter Fifty-Eight**

In the weeks following the wedding, Rory buried herself in work, eager to get everything done so she could take some more time off when April came back over her spring break. Jess wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, since it resulted in his barely seeing her, but he could understand her motivation. Luke's daughter had grown on them, and while he wasn't as eager to see her again as Rory was, he was looking forward to the long weekend they had planned to visit with her.

Between all her schoolwork and job applications, Rory also went on a few job interviews, one of which was at the Baltimore Sun, one of her top choices for employment when she graduated.

"It was just so amazing!" She gushed to her Mom as she rode the train back from the interview. "I met the editor and she invited me in. I sat down and we started talking, and we just had so much to talk about! It was great!"

"Wow!" Lorelai beamed proudly. "That's great!"

"It was," Rory agreed. "We talked about Seymour Hersh and how he was comparing Iran to Nicaragua and the contra war and everything from Alexander Haig, to Watergate, to the Oprah phenomenon. And the best part was that I was just being myself, you know? I was just talking and I forgot all about impressing her."

"But there you were, impressing her anyways," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, and she said she'd call me tomorrow to let me know whether or not I got the job!"

"Wow!" Lorelai said, slightly surprised. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I feel like everything's happening so fast all of a sudden. I can't believe school's almost over. I can't believe it's Spring Fling time already."

"Well, it is, believe me," Lorelai assured her. "We are lousy with spring flingers here."

"I'm sure Michel is just super psyched about that."

"Oh, he is," Lorelai said smugly. "So, are you heading home tonight or tomorrow?"

"I'll probably come back tonight," Rory shrugged. "Once I get to New Haven I'll just go grab my stuff and head over."

"Great, because April's flight gets in at 10 tomorrow and I need help making a welcome sign."

"Excellent," Rory said evilly. "We gonna cover the kitchen with glitter again?"

"Of course!" Lorelai agreed. "Okay, see you later, Hon."

"See you later!"

The next morning, Rory joined Luke and Lorelai at the airport to pick April up, decked out in their usual Gilmore wackiness with large, gaudy signs and chauffeur hats- Lorelai and Rory, that is. Luke was trying his best to look like he didn't know them.

When April walked out of the gate, they were immediately struck by how much she had changed in the last few months. Gone was the geeky, football helmet wearing girl with frizzy hair and frumpy sweaters, instead they were greeted by a glamourous teenager that immediately reminded Lorelai of her own daughter when she had outgrown her awkward stage. Smart, elegant and beautiful, with her snappy new glasses, straightened hair and pierced ears, Luke almost didn't recognize her.

"Dad!" April immediately spotted her father and made a run for him, her glamourous facade falling away as she tripped and almost face planted. Thankfully, her father had gotten used to her accident prone ways and was there to catch her.

"Hey!" He beamed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I've missed you!"

"You too!" April assured him. "Lorelai! Rory!"

"Hey, Kid!" Lorelai beamed and hugged her step-daughter. "How are you? How was your flight?"

"Great! Nice hats."

"Aren't they stylish," Rory laughed and tipped the hat politely, before hugging her step-sister.

"Very," April agreed. "And the signs are very... noticeable."

Rory laughed and looked down at their handiwork. You could barely read them, but they were covered in neon marker and glitter.

"Just wait until you see the kitchen," Rory grinned. "It's very artsy now."

"It looks like a craft store threw up on it," Luke grimaced. "I hate it when you use glitter."

"But it's so pretty!" Lorelai pouted. "Don't you think it's pretty?!"

"No," Luke grumbled and turned back to his daughter. "How about we go get your bags?"

Along with the many other characteristics April and Rory shared, their love of books had to be the strongest, which was why Lorelai was completely unsurprised that April had brought an entire duffel bag solely dedicated to books.

"What'd you do, raid the entire New Mexico state library?" Luke asked as he watched his daughter unpack.

"Yeah," Lorelai frowned. "You know we have books here in Connecticut, right?"

"I know, I know," April assured them. "I just couldn't anticipate what I would be in the mood for. Would I feel like reading Melville or Mcinerney? Or would I be in more of a Native-American, interconnected short-narratives mood, in which case I'd want Louise Erdrich and some 'love medicine'."

"You know what I love about you?" Luke shook his head.

"My dazzling wit and generous heart?"

"The fact that you could _be_ in a Native-American, interconnected short-narratives mood," he corrected.

"It's fascinating stuff," April assured him. "And you know what's funny? Growing up in New England, it's like you're told over and over again that you live in this old place where houses are 300 years old and there's all this history, right?"

"Sure," Luke nodded.

"But some of the pueblos, like the Aztec ruins national monument, or the Casamero Pueblo ruins- I mean, people were living there in like 1100 A.D. It's like, Suck it, New England!"

"It's like what?" Lorelai snorted.

"And actually," April continued. "One of my swim team friends lives on the Jicarilla Apache reservation, which is pretty fabulous."

"Fabulous, huh?" Luke and Lorelai exchanged amused looks.

"Fabulous is the new word in school," April explained.

"I see," Luke nodded. "So New Mexico doesn't seem so terrible after all, huh?"

"Not _so_ terrible," April admitted sheepishly.

While Luke and April continued catching up, Lorelai went to catch up with her own daughter, whom she hadn't seen in weeks.

"So," she dropped onto the couch beside Rory. "How's tricks, Kid?"

"Because that's something every girl wants her mother to ask," Rory chuckled.

"You know what I mean," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Things are good," Rory acquiesced. "What's going on here, though? Why was there hay everywhere this morning?"

"Taylor," Lorelai scowled. "He gave this rousing speech in the town meeting about how he always wanted a hay bale maze as a kid, and we all caved and told him he could have one."

"But it's everywhere," Rory frowned. "Where is everything else going?"

"I have no idea," Lorelai shrugged. "All I know is that Taylor played us and now there's hay everywhere."

"I can't wait until Jess sees it," Rory smirked.

"Oh, yeah. When is he getting in?"

"Sometime tonight," Rory shrugged. "He had a bunch of meetings today, so it all depends on when he finishes those."

"So we may not get to see his reaction to the hay until tomorrow," Lorelai mused. "Ah, the suspense."

"Has Luke seen it yet?" Rory frowned.

"I don't think so," Lorelai laughed. "He's been too excited about April getting here."

"I saw it," Luke assured them, strolling into the living room to join them.

"Oh my God!" Lorelai gasped, pointing to Luke's arm. "What is that?"

"What?" Luke tried to evade the question.

"You have a bracelet on your wrist," Lorelai smiled giddily, elbowing Rory.

"April just gave it to me," he explained.

"You're wearing a bracelet!" His wife continued to giggle.

"She's into jewellery now," Luke tried to make her stop. "It's a phase. What could I do?"

"Wow," Rory tried to hold in her own giggles, failing miserably.

"What are you guys laughing at?" April asked, joining the group.

"Nothing," Lorelai shook her head quickly. "Just admiring your dad's latest accessory."

"Oh, yeah!" April grinned proudly. "Isn't it fabulous?"

"So fabulous," Lorelai agreed, desperately trying to control her face.

Rory, on the other hand, had completely lost her cool and had her face buried in a pillow to keep it hidden.

"Are you okay?" April asked her.

Unable to speak, tears pouring out of her eyes from laughing so hard, Rory simply gave her a thumbs up. Lorelai's stoic facade began to waver as she watched her daughter's body shaking with laughter and she eventually fell into another fit of giggles, earning a glare from her husband.

"They're laughing because you're wearing a bracelet, right?" April turned to her father and rolled her eyes. "You can take it off if you want."

"No!" Luke shook his head fiercely. "I love it. They're just crazy."

"That's true," Lorelai nodded through her giggles. "It's just really funny."

"Dad's right, you are crazy. I'm going to go finish unpacking."

Luke got up to follow her, leaving the girls to pull themselves together- not that they put much effort into it- until Lorelai had to head back to the Inn.

Once Lorelai was gone, Rory ventured into town to visit Lane for a while, leaving Luke and April to have some time together.

"Lane?" She knocked softly on the door before letting herself in, not wanting to wake the boys if they were sleeping.

"Oh my God!" Lane jumped up when she saw her, beaming from ear to ear. "A grown-up!"

"Hi," Rory laughed and hugged her.

"You can't understand how happy I am to see you," Lane said when they finished hugging. "I haven't talked to an adult in so long."

"Where's Zach been?" Rory frowned. "Or Brian and your Mom?"

"Mom has been super busy at the store, what with all the spring flingers in town, and Brian has been working the last couple days," Lane explained.

"And Zach?"

"Zach, God bless him, can no longer talk about anything other than poo and breast milk," Lane scowled.

"I seriously hope you mean the boys' poo," Rory frowned.

"You know, I really can't tell anymore," Lane admitted.

Before they could sit down and chat, a loud cry came from the baby monitor and Lane visibly deflated.

"Come on," Rory hooked her arm through Lane's. "I'll help."

"Thanks," Lane chuckled and led her into the bedroom. No sooner had they opened the door, than the other baby started to cry, egged on by his brother.

"Steve is in blue and Kwan is in green," Lane filled her in as she flipped on the lights. "Take your pick."

Rory nodded and turned to the bassinet that was closest, lifting Steve into her arms as carefully as possible. The one good thing that had come from Jess's mother having another baby, was that Rory was no longer terrified of handling newborns. When Sookie's kids had been born, she had refused to go near them until they could hold their heads up and were slightly more durable, but she had spent so much time cuddling Doula since she was born that her fear of breaking babies had diminished.

"Hi, Steve," she beamed at the baby as she lifted him into her arms. "What's going on, dude?"

The baby continued to wail, prompting Rory to look to Lane for further instructions.

"See if he needs to be changed," the young mother shrugged, bouncing Kwan softly.

"Is that it?" Rory looked down at the angry baby. "Is Mommy neglecting your diaper needs?"

"Hey!" Lane protested. "How about I leave you alone with them to keep up with diapers?"

"Okay, okay. I take it back!" She turned and took the baby over to the table, whispering to him conspiratorially. "Mommy's mean when she's left alone too long, isn't she? What are you doing to her?"

"Quit turning my kid against me," Lane scolded.

"I'm not!" Rory promised. "I'm telling him he should be nicer to you."

"Oh, carry on then."

Rory laughed and turned her attention back to the baby, who most definitely needed his diaper changed. Once he was cleaned up, she followed Lane out to the living room so they could sit and chat while Lane fed the boys.

"So, what's new?" Lane prompted her. "I'll take anything. My entire life revolves around one month olds and I'm desperate for adult activity."

"Well, I went on a job interview yesterday," Rory offered. "I'm actually supposed to hear back about it today."

"I was wondering why you seemed so attached to your phone," Lane nodded. "Which paper?"

"The Baltimore Sun." Rory filled her in on the fantastic interview she'd had the day before, and how adult she had felt, sitting on the train in her suit, reading the paper.

"We have reached that point," Lane nodded appreciatively. "You're going on big fancy interviews and I've got two kids that seem to be permanently attached to my boobs."

"We're grown ups," Rory pouted. "God, I wish we could be eight again."

"Yeah," Lane sighed, then looked down at the baby she was currently feeding. "Being an adult has some pretty good side effects, though."

"Yeah," Rory looked down at Kwan, who was sleeping happily in her arms. "I guess you're right."

They continued to chat idly until Jess called to let Rory know he was almost there.

"I thought you weren't getting here until later," Rory frowned.

"I finished up early. Benin didn't show up for our meeting," he explained.

"Ahh," Rory nodded. "Well, I'm at Lane's right now. Why don't you come by and see the boys? They're so cute!"

"Sure, if Lane doesn't mind."

"Lane is desperate for adult company," Rory assured him, laughing when Lane started nodding aggressively. "She's very excited to see you."

"Well that's a first," Jess chuckled. "Alright, I'll see you guys soon."

When Jess arrived twenty minutes later, all hell had broken loose. Both boys had decided to wake up and scream in harmony, each on seemingly trying to beat his brother at bursting their Mother and Godmother's eardrums.

"Hi," Jess called, letting himself in.

"Hi," Rory and Lane called back, both bouncing and rocking the babies back and forth, panicked looks on their faces.

"You look like you're having fun," he observed.

"Don't mock, just help," Lane snapped.

"Sorry, what do you need?"

"Pacifiers," she nodded to a supply of the things sitting on the kitchen counter.

Jess nodded and retrieved the item, passing them off to each girl. After a few more minutes of rocking, bouncing and rapid swinging the boys finally fell back asleep, much to Lane's relief.

"God, what did I do!?" She huffed, carefully setting Steve down in his swing and turning it on.

"We're never having children," Rory turned to Jess, setting Kwan in his own swing.

"Got it," he nodded. "So, Lane, how've you been."

"Bite me!" She snapped.

"I thought motherhood was supposed to make people nice and nurturing," Jess frowned. "You've gotten meaner."

"I've never been one to follow the crowd," Lane shrugged.

Jess couldn't argued this point, so he turned his attention to the swinging babies.

"You have to admit, they're pretty cute when they're sleeping," he offered.

"Yeah," Lane smiled lovingly at the babies. "I guess they are."

Rory snorted, knowing that Jess was playing on their friend's hormones to keep her from taking her anger out on him, but she couldn't fault his methods.

"Do you guys want some coffee?" Lane offered.

"No, thanks," Jess shook his head. "I told Luke I'd cover for him at the diner while he went to the town meeting Taylor just announced to go over everything for the festival."

"What town meeting?" Rory frowned.

"The one Taylor just announced to go over everything for the festival," Jess repeated. "Did the crying mess with your hearing?"

Rory stuck her tongue out at him, then turned to hug Lane.

"I promise to come back tomorrow and keep you company again."

"Okay," Lane nodded. "Thanks."

"What are friends for," Rory smiled. "See you later."

Once they were outside, Jess laced his fingers through hers as they walked towards the diner, passing Miss Patty's studio as they strolled, where her ballerinas were practising for the Dance of the Daffodils.

"So, tell the truth," Jess turned to her as they walked. "Were you ever in the Dance of the Daffodils?"

"How do you even know what it's called?" Rory snickered.

"I lived here for two years," Jess pointed out. "Some things just stick. Now, quit evading the question."

"Yes I was," she admitted morosely. "But I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?" Jess laughed. "Were you that bad?"

"I suffered a lot of psychological trauma after that recital," Rory sulked.

"Aw, what happened?" Jess feigned sympathy.

"I didn't bloom. My headpiece malfunctioned."

"Poor thing!" Jess put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side.

"Shut up," Rory snorted.

"Fine, what's with all the hay?"

"They're making a hay bale maze, I told you."

"Yeah, but it's everywhere," Jess frowned. "It's taking over the damn place!"

"Well, aren't mazes supposed to be big?"

"Not this big," Jess shook his head. "This seems a little ridiculous."

"I'm sorry, are you aware we're in Stars Hollow?" Rory laughed. "Ridiculous has no meaning to us."

Jess shrugged in agreement and held open the diner door for Rory.

"Hey!" Zach greeted them as they walked in. "How's it going?"

"Great," Rory smiled. "We just left Lane and the boys, they're getting so big!"

"Right?" Zach agreed. "Especially Kwan. He's got this super long torso, but Steve's got it going on in the arms and legs department."

"I noticed that," Jess agreed.

"Yeah, it's like having our own octopus," Zach observed. "Well, I got to get back to work. I'll talk to you later."

Rory and Jess nodded and sat down at an empty table.

"Zach is a cool dude," Jess observed once they were sitting. "But he is going to make a very strange father."

"Yeah, but he loves them," Rory shrugged. "I can attest to the fact that the weird but loving households are pretty great."

"Here here!" Lorelai and Sookie suddenly appeared at their table.

"Where did you come from?" Jess frowned at them.

"Well, approximately 39 years ago, there was a single celled organism..." Lorelai started to explain, making Jess clamp his hands over his ears.

"LUKE!" He bellowed, making Lorelai grin evilly.

"Whatever you're doing, stop it," Luke scolded his wife, wandering over to the table with a bunch of mugs and a pot of coffee.

"I'm not doing anything," Lorelai smiled innocently.

"I highly doubt that," Luke frowned. "Jess looks like he's about to throw up."

"She was explaining where babies come from," Rory tattled.

"Lorelai," Luke huffed.

"What? Someone's got to tell him!"

Before Luke and Lorelai could continue their argument, Luke looked out the window to see Taylor and his work crew piling bales of hay in front of the diner, completely covering the windows.

"What the-?" He slammed the coffee pot he was holding down on the table and rushed outside to yell at Taylor. "Taylor, what the hell are you doing?!"

The table watched eagerly as Luke took down the piles of hay, yelling at Taylor as he worked.

"Ah, I love this town," Lorelai sighed happily, sipping her coffee and watching her husband berate Taylor.

"It's pretty great," Rory agreed. "So, what are you guys doing here?"

"We're here for the Spring Fling meeting," Sookie explained.

"Ah," Rory nodded. "Where's April?"

"She's hanging out with some of her friends from her old school," Lorelai pointed to the Soda Shoppe window, where April was sitting with a group of girls.

Noticing Lorelai and Rory watching her, April gave them a small wave before turning back to her friends.

Luke came back inside a few minutes later, red in the face and breathing hard.

"I'm going to kill that man," he seethed.

"Can you wait until after Spring Fling?" Rory asked. "Murder would kind of put a damper on the whole thing."

"I can't make any promises. Do you want something to eat?"

"Cheeseburger please," Rory asked.

"Make it two," Jess nodded.

"Three," Lorelai joined.

"You?" Luke turned to Sookie.

"Why not," she shrugged.

"Alright, four burgers coming up," he nodded and stormed back to the kitchen.

Once they had eaten, Lorelai, Sookie, Luke and Rory headed out to meet Michel at the Spring Fling meeting, leaving Jess to run the diner and keep an eye on April.

Throughout lunch, Rory had continuously checked her phone, waiting for the editor at the Baltimore Sun to call her, but as soon as the town meeting started her attention was drawn to Taylor's explanations of the overwhelming amount of hay that had suddenly appeared.

As more and more people complained that their booths and supplies hadn't come in yet and were told that their funds had been allocated to the hay bale maze, Lorelai and Luke started exchanging confused looks.

"No," Lorelai suddenly shook her head.

"What?" Rory turned to her.

"He spent the entire budget on the hay bale maze."

"No!" Sookie frowned. "He couldn't have."

"He did," Lorelai insisted.

"I put the entire budget into the hay bale maze!" Taylor announced from the podium.

"No!" Sookie cried loudly.

"Taylor, you can't do that!" Lorelai joined in, her voice rising above the rest of the town's murmurings. "I have an inn full of guests who've come here, travelled miles, withstood winter and blow-dried their tongues off their swing sets so they could get to the spring fling!"

"Yes," Taylor nodded, obviously not seeing the problem.

"They expect certain things!" Lorelai continued. "The traditional events- pie eating contests, pony rides. They don't just want a hay bale maze and nothing else!"

"Feast your eyes on this bad boy," Taylor ignored her protests and unveiled a map of the maze.

"Taylor!" Michel jumped to his feet in protest.

"That goes right up to my diner!" Luke cried, studying the map. "It's completely blocking the whole things!"

"I don't get it," Babette shook her head. "Is it a race?"

"You people clearly don't understand the long and rich history of mazes," Taylor scolded the room. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Stars Hollow, perhaps this will help."

He reached over to a large velvet curtain that stood to his right and pulled, revealing Kirk standing there in a large, papier mache bull's head and some sort of strange, elf-like costume.

"I am the Minotaur!" He announced, waving his arms around.

"The weird thing, is that he's been in that head, under that cloth this entire time," Lorelai murmured to Rory, before motioning for the group to follow her out.

As Kirk babbled on about history, everyone started to filing out, murmuring about the predicament they were suddenly in, ignoring Taylor's calls for them to stay behind and listen.

"This is insane," Lorelai cried as they walked through the square.

"Insane," Sookie agreed.

"Insane," Lorelai repeated, obviously not believing what she had just been told.

"Taylor has officially flipped his lid," Luke agreed.

"This is definitely a new low," Rory huffed. "I can't believe we're not going to have any booths!"

"Okay, we need to get back to the Inn and do some serious damage control," Lorelai told Sookie and Michel, then turned back to her daughter and husband. "I'll see you two at home."

"See you," Luke and Rory agreed, turning and heading back to the diner.

"You will never believe what Taylor just announced!" Rory told Jess as they walked in.

"I bet I will," Jess assured her. "Lay it on me."

"He put all the money for the booths and food and stuff into the maze, and now that's the only thing for Spring Fling."

"Wow," Jess nodded appreciatively. "Just when you think things can't get any crazier around here."

"I am going to kill him!" Luke continued seething. "He's completely blocking everything in town. The hay is taking over!"

"It'll be gone in a few days," Jess shrugged.

"How can you be so calm about this!?" Luke turned on his nephew.

"I've decided to take a very zen attitude when it comes to the complete and utter chaos in this mental asylum," he shrugged.

"You've been spending too much time with Paris," Rory snorted. "Zen?"

"Hey, at least the veins in my neck aren't popping out."

"Yeah, you might want to do something about that," Rory frowned at her stepfather. "That's starting to look dangerous."

"It's fine," he snapped. "Where's April?"

"She's still next door," Jess pointed. "A couple of her friends left about fifteen minutes ago, that's the last one."

"I'll go check on them," Luke huffed and headed for the door, glaring at the bales of hay outside.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter Fifty-Nine**

They were having dinner when Rory's phone finally rang.

"Hello?" She answered quickly, obviously trying to sound put together and adult, though her face betrayed her. "This is she."

She got up and headed into the living room for some peace and quiet, while everyone in the kitchen sat with baited breath. Two minutes later, she came running back in, squealing.

"I got the job!"

"Congratulations!" Lorelai jumped to her feet, pulling her daughter into a hug. "I knew you could do it!"

"Way to go!" Jess kissed her.

"It's a real writing job!" She gushed.

"A real writing job!" Her mother echoed, jumping around excitedly with her.

"I can't believe it!"

"I can," Luke smiled proudly at her.

"A real job!" Rory repeated, obviously in complete disbelief. "I mean, I'd have a salary and a desk and maybe even an office. Well, not an office, but she definitely said something about the desk and the salary. And I have to tell her yes or no by Monday. Oh my God!"

"Deep breaths," Lorelai laughed. "You're starting to hyperventilate."

"This is so amazing!" Rory squealed again, hugging everyone at the table.

"I'm so proud of you," Jess beamed at her. "I knew you could do it."

"Someone actually wants to pay me to write!"

"I pay you to write," Jess offered.

"It's not the same," she smacked his arm.

"I know," he laughed.

"You know what this calls for?" Lorelai asked, making her way over to the phone.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Pie! I'm calling Weston's."

"Yes!" April pumped her fist in the air. "I love Weston's."

"What about my pie?" Luke frowned at his daughter.

"Yours is good too," she quickly tried to back track.

"Uh-huh," Luke wasn't buying it.

"A real writing job," Rory repeated to herself quietly, sitting back in her chair.

Jess chuckled and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You did it."

"I did, didn't I?" She smiled brightly at him.

Once they had finished dinner they all ventured into town to collect their pies.

"It's a good job," Rory mused to her mother as they walked.

"It is," Lorelai agreed.

"Absolutely," Jess nodded.

"It's a _really_ good job. And it's only a short train ride from Philly."

"There is that," Jess agreed.

"And it's a great paper, which is the part to focus on."

"It's an excellent paper," Lorelai agreed.

"But it's kind of small," Rory frowned.

"Which would make you a big fish in a small pond," Luke chimed in.

"Sure," Rory agreed. "But is it better to be a small fish in a pond where I'm going to learn and have career-advancement opportunities?"

"You don't have to stay there forever," Lorelai shrugged. "Maybe it'll just be a stepping stone."

"Maybe."

"You don't have to decide until Monday, though," Luke pointed out.

"Yes, and between now and then, you can eat a lot of pie," Lorelai agreed.

"If we ever make it to Weston's," April frowned.

"Seriously," Rory nodded.

"It seems a lot farther than usual," Lorelai frowned. "The hay is making everything seem so far away!"

"Well, think of it this way," April offered. "We're burning off a lot of calories."

"Thank goodness I ordered extra pies," Rory smiled.

"Two extra pies," Jess corrected.

"Excellent!" Lorelai clapped her hands.

They walked along in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before Rory spoke up again.

"To be honest, this is one of the best jobs I could imagine getting," she mused. "But it's just _one_ of, you know? It's not _the_ best. And if I take this, I'm giving up my chance at the Reston fellowship."

"Which you really, really want," Jess nodded.

"I'd be giving up The New York Times," Rory sighed. "But is it idiotic to give up a great job for something that I probably won't even get."

"Don't be like that," Lorelai scolded. "You have a great shot at the fellowship. They'd be lucky to have you!"

"You have to say that," Rory frowned. "You're my mother."

"Actually I'm not," Lorelai frowned. "I've been trying to find the right time to tell you. I hope you understand."

"Well, it explains a lot," Rory rolled her eyes.

While Lorelai, Jess and Rory continued discussing her chances of getting the fellowship, Luke and April finally found Weston's and went to collect their pies.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Lorelai offered when they returned. "How about we go back to the diner to eat pie?"

"Why?" Luke frowned.

"Because she doesn't want to wait until we get back to the house to eat it," Rory answered. "I'd have thought that was obvious."

"Right," he nodded. "Sorry, the hay is inhibiting my brain power. Lead the way."

They picked their way through the hay stacks, which made the diner seem much farther away than it was, then took the pie upstairs and settled into the living room, with a movie on the TV.

Luke and Lorelai took April back to the house when she started falling asleep on the couch, two movies and three pies in, leaving Jess and Rory to go to sleep themselves.

Jess woke up around three in the morning to find Rory sitting on the floor beside their bed, working on something on her laptop.

"It's three in the morning," He groaned and leaned over the side of the bed, looking at the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No. Ah, the classic Rory Gilmore Pro/Con list."

"There are so many factors!" She spoke quickly, and Jess noticed a cup of coffee sitting beside her.

"Uh huh," he rolled his eyes and reached for the mug.

"What about all the other papers I applied to?" She started listing the problems. "Taking this job means rejecting all other possibilities. I should factor that in."

"Sure," Jess agreed.

"Or what about the very real possibility that print journalism is a dying animal? I should factor that in as a pro, because newspaper jobs might become few and far between and I should take what I can get; but also as a con, because I should be careful about getting too entrenched in what could become an anachronistic medium."

She reached for her coffee cup, but Jess held it out of her reach.

"You shouldn't be drinking coffee this late."

"I need energy!" She protested. "There are so many things I need to think about, and I have almost no time to think about them."

"You have two days. Give me that," he took the computer from her and started looking through the list.

"Pro: air quality in Baltimore as compared to air quality in New York. Con: Chinese food quality in Baltimore vs. New York. Okay, you need to go to sleep."

"I can't sleep!"

"Oh yes you can," Jess assured her. "What do air and food quality have to do with anything? You're not going to be living in Baltimore, you're going to be living in Philadelphia."

"But I'll have to eat there at some point," Rory reasoned.

"The fact that you're putting that in your list proves how tired you are. Put the computer away and come back to bed."

"These are pivotal hours!" Rory continued to argue. "These are the hours when I'm gonna make my decision."

"No, they're not." Jess shook his head and pulled the laptop from her hands. "Go to sleep."

"But-"

"Sleep!"

"Fine," she huffed and got back in bed. "But tomorrow is pro/con list time."

"Sure," Jess nodded and pulled her into his chest.

"You're patronizing me."

"If it gets you to go to sleep," he agreed. "Love you."

"I love you, too." She pursed her lips.

"Good Lord!" Rory cried.

She had just woken up and was making a pot of coffee when her attention was drawn to the window.

"What?" Jess asked groggily, slowly getting out of bed himself.

"Hay," she answered shortly.

"Hi?"

"No, not _hey,_ you idiot. _Hay!_ " she pointed out the window.

Jess frowned and joined her at the kitchen sink and looking out the window.

"Whoa!"

The town was covered. Hay was piled above the windows and doors of every store in the square, making it impossible to pick out any landmarks. Even from the second floor, Rory and Jess couldn't even tell where the gazebo was- if it was even still there.

"Taylor has lost his mind," Jess shook his head.

"You think?"

"I bet Luke is blowing a gasket."

They exchanged excited grins.

"I think we should enjoy our coffee downstairs, what do you think?" Jess asked.

"I think you might be right," Rory smirked.

They hurried to get dressed and made their way downstairs. They hadn't even stepped out from behind the curtain when they were greeted by Luke's angry mutterings and slamming plates.

"Hey, Luke," Rory tried not to smile too brightly. "How's it going?"

"Taylor has lost his God damn mind!" Her stepfather seethed. "You can barely get into the building, let alone see the place!"

"That doesn't seem to be keeping people away," Jess offered.

"That's not the point!" Luke cried. "It's ridiculous. All I can see is hay!"

Rory and Jess both bit their lips, trying not to laugh when Luke was so angry.

"Stop that," Luke snapped at them.

"Sorry," Rory tried to look contrite, but obviously failed.

"Get your coffee and sit down," Luke glared at her.

They both nodded and scurried behind the counter, their shoulders shaking with repressed giggles.

"Just as good as I had hoped," Rory muttered to Jess.

"Better," he agreed.

"I can hear you!" Luke snapped at them. "If you're just here to laugh, you can go back upstairs!"

They grabbed a couple donuts and scurried back upstairs before Luke could continue yelling at them.

Back in the apartment, Rory sat down on the floor in front of the couch with her laptop and breakfast and returned to her pro/con list.

"You got anything about me in there?" Jess asked, sitting down on the couch behind her.

"Of course," Rory nodded and scrolled to the top of her list. "You made up the first... twelve pros and four cons."

"Cons?" Jess frowned. "What cons could I possibly have?"

"It's not you, per say," Rory tried to explain.

Jess frowned and leaned over her, resting his head on her shoulder so he could see the screen.

"Con: time spent travelling from apartment to work and vice versa. Con: time spent on train is less time spent with Jess. Delete those."

"Excuse me?" Rory turned to him, frowning.

"Don't let stuff like that sway your decision," Jess insisted. "We'll have plenty of time together, even if you have to take a train back and forth to work. We're going to be fine."

"I've spent the last year and a half spending most of my time away from you," Rory shook her head. "I don't want to spend any more time apart."

"We'll see each other every day."

"I don't want to just see you as we're getting into bed," Rory argued. "I want to spend time together, I want to be able to sit and have dinner together and tell each other about our days. I need to factor that kind of thing in, it's what I want."

"What if you get the Reston Fellowship?" Jess challenged.

"That's only six weeks," she shook her head. "Six more weeks, I can deal with. But doing this for who knows how long? I can't do it, Jess! I just can't."

Realization seemed to wash over her, her voice shaking, her jaw setting and her eyes getting the determined gleam that meant she had set her mind to something.

"Rory..." Jess shook his head.

"I've made my decision," she got to her feet.

"Rory," Jess followed her into the kitchen. "Don't do anything rash."

"I'm not," she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Jess, I've been thinking about this since last night. I know what I want."

"Rory, we will be fine no matter what you choose!" Jess argued.

"I know that," she turned to him. "But I can't do it anymore. I need things with us to be normal and good, I don't want to do this long distance thing anymore and that's what I'd feel like we were doing. Something else will come up. And honestly, I don't want to write off the Reston Fellowship just yet."

Jess didn't seem convinced, but he knew there was no way she was going to change her mind. He could tell by the look on her face, a look he had seen many times before from both her and her mother, there was no chance she was going to back down and he knew when to admit defeat.

"If you're sure," he sighed.

Rory smiled and took his face in her hands.

"I'm completely sure," she promised. "But if it will make you feel better, I won't call until Monday, just in case I fall down a flight of stairs, hit my head and decide to make the wrong choice. Okay?"

"Okay," Jess chuckled and kissed her. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy. And I'll be even happier when we're together."

"Me too," he nodded. "Get dressed, I'll take you for a romantic walk through the hay maze."

"Sweet!" Rory squealed happily and scurried off to get ready while Jess laughed at her.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter Sixty**

Rory and Jess joined the festivities just as the first shuttle from the Dragonfly arrived, carrying Lorelai and a group of guests.

"Sookie has prepared hot dogs and funnel cakes and salty nuts," Lorelai was announcing to the disembarking guests. "All the festival favourites. So enjoy the maze and whenever you're ready, just head for one of the shuttles. The boys will be around all day."

"It's just a maze?" A kid looked around the town disappointingly. "That's it?"

"Just a maze!?" Rory scoffed, helping her mom out. "This is the most amazing maze I've ever seen! It's all I've dreamed of since I could dream!"

Jess snorted in amusement at this blatant lie, earning a glare from both his girlfriend and her mother.

The kid didn't seem to really be buying what Rory had to say, but he didn't look as disgusted with the entertainment anymore. Jess was pretty sure that had more to do with the fact that Rory looked pretty hot in her tank top and jeans than his actual interest in the maze, but he decided not to share this observation.

As they approached the maze, they passed Babette and Morey, who were stumbling around the square and babbling like they were tripping on acid.

"You guys okay?" Lorelai frowned at them.

"The maze," Morey said dreamily. "Jut high on the maze."

"Okay then," Lorelai nodded and quickly herded her daughter away from the crazy people. "Okay, so Babette and Morey's trippy haze aside, I hate to say it, but maybe Taylor was right."

"Bite your tongue," Rory scolded.

"The man has flipped his lid," Jess agreed. "Don't let him pull you in."

"Sorry," Lorelai shook her head.

"Never agree with Taylor," Rory nodded. "It's one of the cardinal Gilmore rules, right up there with keeping all aspects of life from the grandparents and never ever getting a perm."

"I know, I know!" Lorelai cried. "I'm sorry. I had a lapse in memory! It won't happen again."

"It better not."

At the entrance to the maze, Taylor stood keeping things running in an orderly manner, yelling at any running children while Kirk limped around on a pair of stilts. Ironically, Taylor seemed to be the only person not enjoying the maze, his eyes red and puffy and his nose dripping like a faucet.

"Poor Taylor," Rory laughed.

"Hey, he brought it upon himself," Jess shrugged.

"He's right," Lorelai agreed. "Oh! There's Sookie and Jackson, I'm gonna go say hi. I'll be right back!"

"We'll be here," Rory promised.

"So, I have an observation," Jess said once Lorelai was gone.

"Wow!" Rory nodded appreciatively. "Alright, let's have it, Sherlock."

"I noticed that you didn't tell Lorelai about your decision to not take the job," Jess mused. "Any particular reason?"

"Well I told you I would sleep on my decision for a couple days," she shrugged. "I thought that involved not telling anyone else."

"Since when is Lorelai 'anyone else'?"

"Do you want me to tell her?" Rory frowned.

"No, I just don't want you to not tell her if you want to tell her," Jess frowned as he spoke, obviously aware of how terrible a sentence he had just created.

"Wow, you should be a writer," Rory snorted. "That was just so eloquent and beautiful."

"You know what I mean," Jess rolled his ayes and pulled her into his side.

"I know," she agreed. "I'll tell her sometime today."

"Okay."

"The next ten can go," Taylor suddenly sniffled in front of them, pulling aside the rope that blocked the maze entrance.

"Mom!" Rory called over to Lorelai, who was still standing a few feet away with Sookie and Jackson. "Are you coming with us!?"

"No, you guys go ahead," she waved them on. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Alright, let's go," Jess led her away. "I can't believe I'm walking through this thing with you."

"You like me," Rory wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked.

"Either that or you've finally succeeded in brainwashing me."

"I guess you'll never know."

It took them an hour to get out of the maze, and even then they only did it with Kirk's help, much to Jess's chagrin.

When they were finally out, they made their way back to the diner to give Luke a hand. With no food or refreshment stands allocated to the festival, everyone was going to Luke's and the place was insane. Rory and Jess quickly jumped in, taking orders and filling coffee mugs while Luke dealt with all the phone orders coming in, and Zach ran in and out with deliveries. A few hours into the chaos, Zach came in and announced that he had mastered the maze.

"I can smell the hay!" he told Luke as he collected the next order.

"We can all smell the hay," Luke pointed out, obviously not as excited as Zach was about this discovery.

"No, man!" Zach shook his head. "I can _smell_ the hay."

Luke stared at him for a minute, obviously not sure how to respond to that claim, while Rory, Jess and April snickered behind him.

"That's great Zach," Luke finally sighed. "Here's the next order."

"Back in a jiff!" Zach beamed. "I've got the whole thing memorized. Left, left, right, straight, right, right- no, wait, left-"

"Ah! Don't tell us!" April cried, covering her ears. "I'm dying to go through. I bet it's fabulous!"

"Dude, it so is!" Zach assured her.

"Go," Luke waved to his daughter.

"What?"

"Go," he repeated.

"But don't you need help?" April frowned.

"It's fine," he shook his head.

"Okay," she grinned broadly. "Bye, Dad!"

"Have a fabulous time," Luke called after her sarcastically.

"God, that's never going to get old," Rory snickered at her stepfather's use of the word 'fabulous'.

"Go fill coffee mugs," Luke frowned at her.

Business didn't die down until well into the night, after it had gotten too dark to find a way through the maze. This fact didn't stop Zach, however, he seemed to take it as a challenge. Unfortunately it was a challenge he wasn't completely up to, as an hour after he left the diner Lane called to see where he was. She and Rory had a good laugh at the thought of Zach curled up against one of the walls of the maze, sure that he was almost home.

"I'm sure he'll make his way out at some point," Rory laughed.

"I doubt he'll remember to bring diapers with him," Lane huffed. "Oh well. Thanks."

"Anytime. Give the boys a kiss for me."

When the diner was almost empty, Lorelai joined them for dinner, the family taking up the entire counter.

"Taylor is a genius!" April announced as they ate.

"Bite your tongue!" Rory issued the same rebuke she had given her mother earlier in the day.

"Yeah!" Lorelai agreed. "Gilmore rules state that under no circumstances is it ever permissible to agree with Taylor Doose."

"I'm not a Gilmore," April reasoned. "I'm a Danes-Nardini."

"I'm a Danes too," Lorelai countered. "But I still adhere to the rules."

"You're a Gilmore," Luke shook his head. "Through and through."

"Yeah, but I added the Danes on there to make you happy."

"And it worked," he assured her.

"Don't kiss," April cringed. "We're eating."

Lorelai grinned evilly, then made a big show of sloppily kissing her husband on the cheek.

"Eating!" Jess complained.

"Yeah, because you never kiss my daughter when we're eating," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Moving on!" Rory interrupted before things could get too ugly. "I have an announcement to make."

Everyone turned to face her, knowing that she had made a decision about the job.

"I've decided not to take the job in Baltimore. I'm going to hold out for the Reston Fellowship."

"Are you sure?" Lorelai frowned.

"I'm sure," Rory nodded. "I mean, it's a good job, but what I _really_ want is the fellowship."

"Okay then," Lorelai smiled. "You know what this calls for?"

"Pie?" April guessed.

"Pie," she nodded excitedly.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter Sixty-One**

In the weeks following Spring Fling, as graduation drew closer and closer, Rory's life was thrown into chaos. Once again, she had crawled into a hole to study for finals, and on top of that, acceptance letters had been sent out and Paris was even more on edge than usual.

"Finally!" Paris practically tackled her one afternoon when she came home. "Doyle, she's here! Where have you been? Your class ended like two hours ago!?"

"I went to the library to study," Rory frowned. "What's going on?"

"Paris has some news," Doyle called from the kitchen.

"Not _some_ news," Paris shook her head and dragged Rory over to the table. " _The_ news. Responses from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Penn Medical, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School and Columbia Medical."

She held up a large pile of letters, dropping each back on the table as she listed them.

"Wow, those all came today?" Rory nodded appreciatively.

"Yes. And before you comment on envelope thickness, keep in mind that so much stuff is online these days that thickness is no longer an accurate indicator."

"Right," Rory nodded.

"I knew you would want to be here when I opened them," Paris continued.

"Of course," Rory agreed. "Thanks for waiting."

"Okay, go on!" Doyle pushed Paris encouragingly. "Open them."

"Okay," Paris took a deep breath and picked up a letter opener. "My lucky letter opener. I used it to open the envelope conveying my acceptance to Yale four years ago. And don't look at me like I'm some kind of superstitious freak-" she glared at Rory. "It's just a precautionary device. If it works, great. If not, I need to open letters anyways."

"No judgement here," Rory promised.

"Okay," Paris took another breath and stared at the table. "I don't know which to open first. Choose one!"

"Oh," Rory realized this order was directed at her. "Okay, uh... Yale Law School."

"Yale Law School," Paris repeated and picked up the letter. "Okay, wow. That's a great school. I'd be lucky to get in."

She held the envelope tentatively for a minute, then turned to Rory.

"You open it."

"Me?"

"You're lucky," Paris nodded.

"Excuse me?"

"How else do you explain the fact that you got into Harvard and I didn't?" Paris demanded.

"Right, luck," Rory bit back the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay."

She took the envelope from Paris, picked up the letter opened and ripped it open, pulling out the enclosed papers.

"Dear Paris Geller," she read aloud. "We are pleased to inform you-"

"I got in?" Paris squealed. "Whoo!"

Doyle joined in the screaming, Paris jumping around excitedly while Rory watched them in amusement.

"Congratulations," she laughed. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you," Paris beamed at her. "Thank you so much, for your participation in Operation Finish Line, for your friendship over the years, for everything. You've always been an inspiration to me, Rory."

"Aw," Rory smiled emotionally at her friend.

"I mean," Paris continued. "The way you cut your ruthless path to head the Yale Daily News and never looked back- I never told you, but I really admired that."

"Thanks?" Rory frowned, the emotional moment passing quickly.

"And, Doyle," Paris turned to her boyfriend. "I know this process didn't exactly bring out my soft and fuzzy side."

"Doesn't matter," Doyle shook his head, while Rory wondered what exactly _would_ bring out Paris's soft and fuzzy side- if she did, in fact, have one.

"I love you, Baby, and I'm so proud of you," Doyle congratulated her.

"I love you, too," Paris smiled. "I just can't believe I got into the second best law school in the country. It's such an honour. It doesn't even matter if I get into the other schools, I have a great option right here."

"You do," Rory agreed.

"Yeah! Anyways, we might as well open the Harvard letter," Paris tried to sound nonchalant. "Even though it doesn't matter. Use the letter opener again."

Rory nodded and picked up both objects before reading the contents.

"Dear Paris Geller, we are pleased to inform you-"

"Yeah!" Paris cheered even louder this time. "I got in! I got in!"

She and Doyle jumped around again.

"Bite me, Harvard!" Paris finally snapped at the letter. "Bite me!"

"Yeah!" Doyle agreed. "Chock on it!"

"I'm tempted to reject them the same way they rejected me on that dark day four years ago," Paris mused. "Who's laughing now, huh?!"

"Okay," Rory picked up the next envelope. "University of Pennsylvania... We are pleased to inform you-"

"In?" Paris cried. "I'm in? Yes!"

Their celebrating continued, albeit slightly more subdued, a fact that Paris didn't miss.

"What's that about?" She demanded.

"What?" Rory frowned.

"Your noticeable drop-off in enthusiasm," Paris accused. "Is that a reflection on the fact that you're less impressed by my admittance to Penn Medical than you were by the other schools?"

"I'd say we're just as impressed," Rory shook her head. "Right Doyle?"

"Absolutely," he nodded quickly. "Because it's a pre eminent institution in the interrelated disciplines of patient care education and research."

"It's a great school," Rory agreed.

"Top-notch," Doyle added.

"Fine," Paris snapped unhappily. "You've made your point. Perception should play a role in my decision-making process."

"I guess that's what we were saying," Rory decided to just go along with Paris's theory.

"I mean, let's face it," Paris carried on. "If you say 'Harvard Medical School' people are automatically impressed, and that counts for something."

"That's true," Rory nodded.

"So you think I should go there?"

"Oh, well," Rory quickly tried to back pedal. "That's not what I'm saying- or that you shouldn't. I'm just saying that you have great options."

"Yeah," Doyle agreed.

"I know," Paris frowned. "So how do I decide?"

"You'll figure it out, Hon," Doyle rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"How?" Paris demanded. "This is a huge decision, the biggest decision I've had to make in my life. Law school or Med school. I have two passions, and obviously I'm vastly talented in both fields. What muse do I follow? Not to mention location-wise, where do I want to live for the next three to eight years?"

She was obviously starting to stress herself out, but Rory knew there was no pulling her out of the downward spiral she had just started.

"Open the others," Paris huffed.

"Okay," Rory nodded and picked up the Columbia letter. "We are pleased-"

"Oh, God!" Paris moaned while Doyle started to celebrate.

"Paris!" Rory scolded. "You're just being silly, okay? It's good to have options."

"Yeah, right," Paris rolled her eyes. "You can say that because you know what you want. Talk to me if you don't get the New York Times fellowship and you have to choose between six other papers."

Rory visibly deflated at this thought, worry lines creasing her face.

"I'm sorry," Paris was quick to apologize. "I just meant it must be nice to know what you want."

"Well, nice, sure," Rory shrugged. "That's one way to put it. Scary, is another."

"You have a great shot at the Reston," Paris tried to reassure her.

"You do," Doyle agreed.

"The New York Times would be lucky to have you," Paris smiled encouragingly.

"Thanks," Rory tried to smile. "Well, I'll find out soon enough, but come on. This is your moment. Should we open another?"

Paris gave a tentative nod and passed Rory another letter.

"You got into Stanford!" She announced excitedly, reading the contents.

"Whoa!" Doyle beamed. "Someone's on a roll."

"Yay!" Rory tried to get Paris excited again.

"Enough with the hysterics!" The other girl snapped emotionally. "I have a big decision to make, and all this hooting and hollering isn't exactly helping!"

She threw herself onto the couch and buried her face in a pillow, obviously having reached a stress level overload.

"Okay," Rory nodded softly. "We're here if you want to talk about it."

"Thanks," Paris muttered, not lifting her head.

Rory stayed up late that night, studying and keeping an eye on Paris. She was all too aware of what happened when Paris got stressed, or angry, and she didn't feel the need to repeat the events following the arrival of their college acceptance letters. It wasn't until the next morning that she realized she had missed a call from her mom and figured she could call her back.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered soundly slightly out of breath.

"Hi, Mom."

"Oh, why so blue?" Lorelai immediately caught on to her daughter's tone.

"I'm not blue," Rory argued.

"Come on," Lorelai coaxed. "Talk to the Mommy."

"All I said was 'hi Mom'."

"Are you missing Jess?" Lorelai guessed, ignoring her denials.

"Sure, but that's not it," Rory finally admitted. "And anyways, I'm not even blue."

"Okay, then why are you not blue?"

"Well, Paris got into six schools yesterday," Rory explained. "Which means she's definitely going to grad school, and I'm happy for her. I mean, I'm happy for Lucy and Olivia, who signed a lease on an apartment in Manhattan the other day and I'm happy for the guy in my Shakespeare class who just got recruited for a think tank in Washington."

"Wow, that's a lot of happy," Lorelai nodded appreciatively.

"Yeah, and that's it. Suddenly, everyone seems to know where they're going to be next year."

"And you're still waiting to hear," Lorelai concluded.

"Yeah," Rory sighed.

"Hon, everything is going to work out," her mother promised. "And it's not like your future is totally empty. You know you're going to be moving in with Jess and living in Philly."

"I guess."

"You're going to hear from the Times soon, and then none of this will matter," Lorelai reassured her. "You'll be so excited to work at the New York Times that you won't even remember you were unhappy."

"If you say so."

"I do. So, what kind of think tank?"

"I didn't ask," Rory said apologetically. "I temporarily forgot about your fascination with think tanks."

"Does he have a big forehead?" Lorelai asked. "I always picture the think tank guys with big foreheads."

"No, he has a pretty average forehead," Rory shook her head. "Average to small."

"Interesting..."

"Mm. Why do you sound out of breath?" Rory changed the subject.

"I don't know," Lorelai answered smugly.

"Did you have too much coffee this morning?"

"I haven't had any. I didn't go to Luke's."

"Why not?" Rory frowned. "Are you guys fighting?"

"No, I just didn't have time. The Jeep crapped out on me yesterday."

"What?!" Rory gasped.

"Yeah," her mother sighed. "Luke and I took it to Gypsy's last night."

"And what did she say?"

"It's bad."

"Uh-oh," Rory bit her lip.

"Doorknobs," Lorelai agreed.

"As in 'dead as'?"

"That's right."

"Why?" Rory demanded. "How?"

"Ours is not to know why," Lorelai answered dreamily.

"But it was so young!"

"I know."

"It just seems like yesterday that we picked it out," Rory reminisced.

"Yeah," Her mother agreed sadly.

"So new car, huh? You should get a DeLorean, like in Back to the Future."

"It's on the list," Lorelai promised. "Right behind the Batmobile. Although I'm enjoying this whole biking thing."

"What biking thing?" Rory frowned.

"I'm biking to work right now."

"What, now!?" Rory demanded. "Mom!"

"What?"

"Pull over!"

"No!"

"That's dangerous!" Rory cried.

"Oh, I'm fine," she could practically hear her mother's eyes rolling. "I've been talking to you with a little ear thingy."

"Well pull over, right now!" Rory repeated.

"Okay, okay. I'm pulling over. Okay, I pulled over."

"Yeah, I know you're lying," Rory accused. "I'm hanging up now."

"Okay, bye Hon!" Lorelai laughed and clicked off, leaving her daughter to question how she had turned out so sensible after being raised by a reckless nutcase.


	62. Chapter 62

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all your reviews and favourites and follows, they are SO appreciated! To answer your question Cresswellshipper17, I wasn't a huge fan of the revival storyline- I loved having the girls back, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't super psyched about how ASP handled things- never fear, though. I have plans for the future, hopefully plans that you'll enjoy!**

 **Thanks again for everything, I hope you enjoy the rest of this story.**

 **-Em**

 **Chapter Sixty-Two**

When Rory got back from her class that afternoon, she could hear Paris and Doyle screaming at each other all the way from the vestibule.

"How long's that been going on?" She asked one of the 'Doo-Wop' boys.

"An hour," he grunted.

"Awesome," Rory let out a heavy sigh and headed for the stairs. She got to the front door just as Doyle stormed out.

"Have a nice life!" He screamed.

"Doyle, is everything okay?" Rory frowned.

"Oh, yeah, everything's great!" He said sarcastically. "My girlfriend of two and a half years just broke up with me, but other than that..."

"She did?" Rory gasped. "Why?"

"Who knows? Maybe because she's psycho!" He yelled back into the apartment.

"I am not psycho!" Paris screamed back.

"Oh, yes you are!" Doyle cried.

"What happened?" Rory asked Doyle as Paris screamed at him to take back his accusations.

"Ask Paris," he said, then turned back to the apartment. "I will not take it back because you are a certifiable nut job!"

Rory couldn't fault him for this observation, seeing as she had thought the same thing on many occasions.

"And, hey," Doyle turned back to her. "If you find out why we broke up, let me know."

"But, Doyle, where are you going?" Rory asked

"I'm crashing on my Metro editor's couch for a couple days, then I'll be back for my things. I'll see you around."

Without another word, he grabbed his duffel bag and stormed to the stairs, leaving Rory with no other choice but to go inside and find out what the hell was going on.

"Is he gone?" Paris asked when she walked in, sitting on the couch calmly.

"Yeah," Rory nodded. "What happened?"

"We broke up."

"But why?" Rory frowned.

"I have a really big decision to make, and I'm not about to let him influence it," Paris explained.

"Was he trying to pressure you into staying in Connecticut next year?" Rory asked, sitting down across from her.

"Well, no, not overtly," Paris shook her head. "But it was in the air. And statistically, taking into account my geographic and socioeconomic background, the chances of me remaining with my college boyfriend are slim. So how am I gonna feel in 20 years when I look back and realize that I based a huge decision on some college guy who may or may not make the holiday newsletter cut off?"

"But you love him," Rory argued.

"Yeah, well," Paris shrugged. "I'll deal."

"Paris," Rory frowned.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about it, okay?" She snapped, obviously upset.

"Okay," Rory relented.

"The good news is I came up with a point system to evaluate each institution based on faculty, earning potential, location, prestige, and perception of prestige, which I've decided is worth two points. I'm not proud of that, but it's how the world works."

"Well, I'm glad you're making progress," Rory offered.

"As if," Paris shook her head. "Three more acceptances came today. It's crazy! I mean, I always thought I'd be able to decide between law and medicine when the time came based on the quality of the schools I got into, but at this point it's a toss up. Everyone wants me!"

"I'm sure you'll make the right decision," Rory assured her.

"Of course I will," Paris said frankly. "What do you think the point system is for?"

"Right," Rory nodded and got to her feet, her comforting efforts obviously no longer needed. "So, the mail got here? Anything for me?"

"Nothing from the Times." Paris grimaced as Rory let out an anxious groan. "It'll come."

"I know," Rory sighed dramatically. "It's just, waiting sucks."

"Yeah, it does," Paris nodded sympathetically.

Deciding not to dwell on the lack of news, Rory turned to the answering machine and found a message from Lucy inviting her to celebrate their new apartment, Glenda, at Rich Man's Shoe.

"They named it?" Paris frowned as they listened to the message.

"I guess so," Rory shrugged.

"Weird. So, are you gonna go?" Paris asked, sadness creeping back into her voice.

"I was going to," Rory nodded. "Do you want to come?"

"I might as well," Paris shrugged. "I mean, Doyle and I were supposed to go see a movie, but I guess that's not gonna happen."

"Paris, are you sure you're okay?" Rory watched her with concern.

"I'm fine," she nodded. "Trust me, it's not like I've been dying to see 'Blades of Glory' anyways."

Rory wasn't buying her lame excuse, but before she could argue Paris got up and left the room, claiming she needed to get started on her point system by calling Alumni from each school and making them answer an extensive survey.

Drinks were a morose affair on Paris and Rory's end. Paris was depressed about breaking up with Doyle and Rory was bummed out about how excited Lucy and Olivia were about their future when hers was still up in the air.

The night ended with Paris crying about how much she loved Doyle and how terrified she was of letting that get in the way of her future, despite everything she had worked for.

During this proclamation, Rory was suddenly struck with an overwhelming doubt about her and Jess's relationship. This feeling of doubt kept her awake into the early hours of the morning, until she finally gave up around three and called him.

"Hello?" Jess answered just before the machine picked up, his tone conveying severe annoyance at being woken.

"Hey. What if I get the Reston Fellowship?"

"What?"

"If I get the fellowship, what are we going to do?" She repeated.

"Rory, it's three in the morning," Jess groaned.

"I'm aware of that, but it has nothing to do with my question," Rory frowned. "What if I get the fellowship and it goes amazing and I get hired on full-time? What would happen to us?"

"We would work it out," Jess yawned.

"How? Would we keep doing the long-distance thing? Because I don't want to do that."

"I know you don't," Jess assured her. "I don't know what we would do, exactly, but we'd work something out. I'd move out there with you and commute back and forth when needed, or I'd lighten my workload and just focus on writing and editing."

"But you love Truncheon," Rory argued. "Would you really want to leave?"

"What I want, is to be with you," Jess assured her. "Now, why are we talking about this at three in the morning?"

"Paris."

"Is holding a gun to your head and conducting an experiment?" Jess guessed.

"She broke up with Doyle today because she didn't want him to influence her decision about grad school," Rory tried to explain. "Because she wants to put her career first, even thought she loves him. And we were talking and I just... I don't know, I got scared."

"You don't need to be scared," Jess promised. "No matter what you do after graduation, we will work it out."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay," Rory let out a relieved sigh and a short chuckle. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"That's okay," Jess laughed. "You feel better now?"

"Yeah, I do. I love you."

"I love you too. Get some sleep."

They hung up and Rory smiled to herself. Jess was right, no matter what happened, they would be okay. She was sure of it.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter Sixty-Three**

Rory and Paris were sitting at the kitchen table nursing their hangovers the next morning when Paris announced that she had made a decision about the next year.

"I'm going to be a doctor."

"That's great, Paris!" Rory congratulated her.

"Yeah, it just all became so clear last night when I was lying in bed, watching the ceiling spin."

"I told you not to have that last drink," Rory frowned.

"I've always wanted to be a doctor," Paris ignored her. "For as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I used to cut the heads off my dolls to see what was inside."

"I'm guessing you didn't include that in your applications," Rory joked.

"I let myself be swayed by the promise of black-card corporate America, but the truth is that I want to be a physician- always have, always will."

"Well, it's a very noble profession," Rory smiled.

"It's the closest you can get to being God," Paris agreed.

Before Rory could comment on how terrifying a thought that was, Doyle walked into the kitchen to get some coffee.

"Hi, Doyle," Rory greeted him, slightly surprised.

"Hi, Rory," he smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Paris demanded.

"I live here."

"Uh, yeah, but we agreed you'd be the one to move out."

"About that," Doyle nodded. "I changed my mind."

"It's inappropriate for my best friend to be living alone with my ex-boyfriend," Paris argued.

"I don't want to live alone with her," Doyle shook his head. "No offence, Rory."

"None taken," Rory nodded.

"We can't live together," Paris crossed her arms. "We're broken up."

"Actually, I changed my mind about that too," Doyle shrugged.

"What do you mean? What is he talking about?" Paris turned to Rory for some sort of explanation.

"I don't think he wants to break up," she explained.

"That's right," Doyle nodded. "I don't. Oh, and by the way, I think you got into two more med schools- Washington University and Duke. I never saw myself living in St. Louis, or North Carolina, but who knows?"

"What are you talking about?" Paris demanded again.

"I love you, Paris Geller," Doyle announced. "You are the strongest, most infuriating, most exciting woman I have ever met in my entire life and there is no way I'm gonna let you go."

"You don't have a choice," Paris shot back.

"Sure I do," Doyle shrugged. "Just because you don't want to base your decision around me, doesn't mean I can't make mine around you."

"That's absurd."

"Anywhere you go, I'm going," Doyle ignored her protests.

"We're too young for this!" Paris desperately tried to convince him otherwise.

"Maybe you are, but I'm older and a heck of a lot more mature."

"SO... you're saying that if I go to Alaska, you're coming?" Paris challenged, heading towards their bedroom.

"I've always wanted to go dog-sledding," he mused, following her.

"That's ridiculous," Paris argued.

They disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind them while Rory chuckled at Doyle's ballsy move. She had to admit, the man really had figured out how to tame the wild beast that was Paris. While she listened to the faint sounds of their bickering, she sorted through the mail.

She almost passed the letter, sure that it wasn't going to be there. But it was. New York Times stamped and sealed, in her hands.

Rory took a deep breath and grabbed Paris's lucky letter opener, then closed her eyes and ripped the envelope open.

The feeling of disappointment that washed over her when she read the words 'we regret to inform you' could only be described as gut-wrenching. This was everything she had ever dreamed of, the only thing that she had really wanted to do after graduation, and they didn't want her.

She didn't know what to do with herself. She sat at the kitchen table reading and re-reading the page over and over again until it finally sank in.

They didn't want her. She hadn't gotten it, and now she really didn't know what she was going to be doing when she graduated in two weeks. Suddenly moving in with Jess full-time didn't seem like enough to fill the giant void in front of her and all she wanted to do was cry. She wanted to call Jess or her Mom, anyone that could make her feel better, but the thought of having to tell them that she had failed stopped her. Instead, she went into her room and studied, trying to ignore the tears that were spilling onto her note cards.

The next night was Friday, which meant dinner with her mom and grandparents. As usual, Luke had come up with a reason not to go, so it was just the four of them and to say that Rory was dreading it was an understatement. She knew she was going to have to tell her grandparents about the fellowship sooner or later, but she had hoped it would be later. Unfortunately, Richard and Emily had a different idea.

"Your grandfather and I have a surprise for you," Emily announced as they were served their drinks.

In the months since Richard's heart attack, his mood had improved tenfold and he and Emily were back to their usual antics, plotting behind their families backs and taking society by storm.

"Uh-oh," Lorelai frowned at this announcement.

"What?" Rory asked, looking slightly nervous.

"Did you name another building after her?" Lorelai guessed.

"No," Emily pursed her lips.

"No, I know! You bought Yale and named it Rory," she amended. "From now on, the Ivy League is going to be Harvard, Princeton and Rory. Has a nice sound, though."

"A nice ring to it," Rory agreed.

"Hey, I'll meet you at the Rory/Harvard game," Lorelai mused.

"Your grandfather and I have decided to purchase a little Pied-Terre in the city," Emily ignored her daughter.

"Nothing fancy," her husband continued. "Just a little two bedroom on the Upper East Side."

"That's exciting," Rory smiled.

"Now, we realize that the Upper East Side is not the most convenient address for an employee of the New York Times, but it's just a 20 minute cab drive away," Emily explained.

"You're giving her an apartment, Mom?" Lorelai scoffed.

"No, it'll be our apartment," Emily assured her. "But Rory's to live in. Of course we'll never drop by unannounced."

"Well, that goes without saying," Richard agreed.

"Hear that, Honey?" Lorelai smirked at her daughter. "You and Grandma are going to be roomies."

"So, what do you think?" Emily asked.

"Oh, well," Rory bit her lip nervously. "It's a very generous offer."

"Oh, we're glad to do it!" Her grandfather assured her.

"But I don't know if I'm actually going to be living in the city at all next year." She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the announcement she had to make. "I didn't get the internship."

"What?" Lorelai gasped and looked at her daughter in concern.

"You didn't?" Her grandfather seemed shocked.

"That's terrible!" Emily agreed.

"When did you find out?" Lorelai asked.

"Yesterday," Rory shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Well, this is preposterous!" Emily cried. "Who could be more qualified than you?"

"Well, the Reston fellowship is very competitive," Rory tried to explain. "And they only take a couple of people, so..."

"This is outrageous!" Richard shook his head. "You rose to editor in chief of the Yale Daily News. What else do they want, an exclusive interview with Osama Bin Laden?"

While Richard and Emily continued fuming about the outrageous idea of their granddaughter not working at the New York Times, Lorelai leaned over to her daughter and spoke quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause I just found out," Rory shrugged. "And I was busy studying for my finals."

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie."

"It's okay," Rory tried to sound convincing. "I'm just trying to put it behind me."

They turned their attention back to the elder Gilmores, who seemed to be addressing them again.

"It's okay, Grandma," Rory repeated. "I promise. Actually, I really need to get back to Yale soon so I can finish studying before my final tomorrow. Do you think we could eat?"

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed quickly. "Let's eat."

She could tell that Rory was far more upset about losing the fellowship than she was willing to admit and that Emily and Richard weren't helping her get past things with all their angry babbling.

While they ate, she did her best to deflect the conversation away from Rory, keeping everyone occupied by telling them about the trip she and Luke had taken earlier in the week to look for a new car. It worked, as both her parents took Luke's side in the argument that cars do not have distinct personalities or superiority complexes.

Rory was grateful for her attempts to keep the conversation away from school, unfortunately her attempts to improve her mood didn't work.

When dinner was finally finished, Rory excused herself before dessert, claiming that she needed to get back to her studies. Really, she was going home to call Jess. She figured that if she didn't tell him now, her mom would go home and tell Luke, who would tell Jess and then he would be mad at her for not telling him herself.

"Hey, I thought you would be having dinner with Richard and Emily," Jess greeted her when she called.

"I was, I'm done now."

"What's wrong?"

"I got a letter from the Reston Fellowship," Rory decided to just rip the band-aid off. "I didn't get it."

"Ror, I'm sorry," Jess sighed. "I know how much you wanted it."

"Yeah, well," she shrugged. "It was a long shot."

"That doesn't make it any less crappy. How you doing?"

"I'm okay. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," she sighed. "I just figured I should tell you."

"I'm glad you did," Jess said. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure?" Jess prodded. "Anything at all? I'm willing to do some pretty crazy things."

"You're sweet, but no," Rory chuckled.

"Okay, well, if you think of anything."

"You'll be my first call," she promised. "I need to get back to studying."

"Really?"

"Really. I just wanted to tell you before Luke did."

"I appreciate that. Okay, well, if you need me just call."

"I will."

"Good luck with your final tomorrow."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

Rory hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh. If this was what she was going to feel like every time she told someone she hadn't got the fellowship, she didn't know what she would do. Just saying the words had exhausted her. It had been a five minute conversation, but Rory felt completely spent and instead of going back to studying, she crawled into bed and went to sleep.


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter Sixty-Four**

Sleep didn't do Rory much good. Her night was plagued by dreams of failure and despair, and by the time she woke up she was even more exhausted than when she had gone to sleep. It didn't help that when she returned to the apartment after a quick stop at the library, Paris was holding a party for all the people she had met who would be joining her at Harvard Medical School, all those people with bright, perfectly planned futures ahead of them.

Doing her best to ignore their excited chatter, Rory downed a pot and a half of coffee, then dragged herself back to campus and into the lecture hall she was supposed to be writing her exam in.

As she sat and filled blue book after blue book, she couldn't help but feel like it was all useless. Like no matter what she did, she was going to fail anyways, which was how she ended up walking out before the exam finished, taking her last blue book with her and driving straight to Stars Hollow, where she hid under the covers in her childhood bed and waited for her mother to find her. She wasn't completely sure how long she stayed in hiding before she heard Lorelai calling, but it was definitely starting to get stuffy under her comforter.

"Honey?" Lorelai opened the door to her daughter's bedroom and frowned.

"Yeah?" Rory muttered under the covers.

"Hi."

"Hey," she responded morosely.

"Whatcha doing?" Lorelai asked, torn between concern and amusement.

"Hiding."

"From..." she prompted.

"The world," Rory said petulantly.

"What's going on?" Lorelai sighed and sat down on the bed, patting her daughter's leg comfortingly. "What happened?"

"I tanked it," Rory sighed and pulled back the covers finally.

"What did you tank?"

"My final."

"Oh, I'm sure you didn't tank it," Lorelai shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure I did," Rory assured her.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't even hand in all of it," Rory produced the final blue book.

"Oh, Sweetie," Lorelai smiled sympathetically.

"If I didn't fail it, I didn't do better than a 'C'... or a 'C-'... or a 'D'," Rory gasped. "Oh God! What if I got a 'D'?"

"Well, that's okay."

"No, it's not!" Rory shook her head and sat up. "I mean, I knew my stuff. The questions were exactly what I had anticipated. I could have written about Paradise Lost for hours in those blue books, but halfway through the third one I just started thinking, 'What's the point? I'm never gonna get a job, anyways'."

"Honey, that's not true," Lorelai frowned. "You _are_ going to get a job."

"I'm not," Rory shook her head. "The New York Times doesn't want me. I got a letter from two of the other papers I applied to saying they aren't hiring. I even called the Baltimore Sun to see if the job there was still available, but obviously it wasn't because some non-idiot who didn't think they were too good got it."

"You're not an idiot," Lorelai tried to reassure her.

"I am! Everyone's probably laughing at me. I can probably never show my face in Baltimore again."

"Well, why would you want to?" Lorelai frowned. "There's not a lot going on there. But, Honey, listen to me, you had a setback. That's terrible, but you are so smart and so talented, and there is some paper out there that is gonna hire you as their future superstar. That's a fact."

"Yeah, right," Rory rolled her eyes.

"I think you're having a meltdown," Lorelai pushed Rory's hair out of her face. "So it's a good thing you came home, because it's sad and disappointing, but everyone needs to have a meltdown every once in a while. I speak from experience."

"Ugh!" Rory groaned in annoyance and threw the covers back over her head.

"When's your next final?" Lorelai asked.

"Not for four more days," she mumbled.

"Well that gives you plenty of time to melt," Lorelai smiled encouragingly.

"This is all your fault, you know that?" Rory suddenly accused.

"How is this my fault?"

"Because you told me I could do anything."

"You can," Lorelai smiled proudly.

"Apparently, I can't," Rory shook her head. "And I have two rejection letters and a humiliating phone call to prove it. Do you know what the worst part is? I thought I was so in at the Times. I was just saying that I wasn't gonna get it because I didn't want to sound cocky, but I was _so_ cocky! I was picturing myself working there, chatting up Bill Keller in the elevator and running down the street for a quick lunch with Maureen Dowd and filing my first story. I had already picked out my outfit for my ID."

"The new suit with the red theory shirt," Lorelai nodded along.

"Yeah, and now I have to tell everyone that I didn't get it," Rory sighed sadly. "And I don't want to. Just telling you and Grandma and Grandpa made me feel ashamed and humiliated all over again, which is why I didn't tell you in the first place. I mean, I didn't even tell Jess until late last night, and I only told him because I didn't want him to hear it from Luke. It just sucks disappointing everyone!"

"Honey," Lorelai pulled her into a hug. "You could never disappoint me- ever."

"Yeah?" Rory asked.

"Ever, ever," Lorelai promised.

Rory still wasn't buying it, but she hugged her Mom back and decided not to argue about it.

"Now, how about we work on putting you in a better mood?" She finally pulled back and smiled.

"I don't know how you plan to do that," Rory frowned. "I'm pretty set in my demeanour."

"Yeah, but I know you pretty well," Lorelai assured her. "Come on, let's go see Luke and get you some comfort food."

When they got to the diner, they took a seat at one of the corner tables and ordered some serious comfort food, a fact that Luke didn't miss, resulting in him joining them for a few minutes.

"What's going on?" He looked between his wife and step-daughter.

"I'm a failure," Rory sighed dramatically.

"You're not a failure," Lorelai shook her head. "Lots of famous, amazing people struggled before they got successful."

"Like who?" Rory demanded.

"Um... Alanis Morissette!"

"What?" Rory frowned. "No."

"Yes!"

"She was successful right away," Rory shook her head.

"In Canada," Lorelai scoffed. "She was on Star Search, she dated Dave Coulier. She struggled a lot before Jagged Little Pill."

Rory didn't seem to agree with this assessment, so Lorelai came up with another example.

"Jackson Pollock."

"Mom," Rory frowned.

"He struggled before he succeeded!" Lorelai insisted. "And I bet if you asked him now, he would tell you he was glad for it."

"Jackson Pollock is dead," Rory pointed out.

"Yes, and from heaven he would tell you he was glad about that, because God rewards those who struggle."

"Okay, stop," Rory shook her head and turned to Luke. "Tell me something happy."

"I bought a boat," he offered.

"You already have a boat," Rory frowned. "It's sitting in the garage."

"Actually, I sold that one to Kirk and bought a bigger, better one," Luke explained. "And April and I are going to take it for a trip up the coast when she's here over the summer."

"Wow," Rory nodded appreciatively. "That's exciting. Do you want me to just speak in nautical terms until you leave?"

"I offered to do that too!" Lorelai smiled proudly at her daughter.

"And I'll tell her the same thing I told you- No," Luke glared at them.

"You're no fun," Rory frowned. "Can't you see I'm depressed? Don't you want to make me feel better?"

"Is speaking in nautical terms really going to make you feel better?" Luke challenged.

"Maybe."

"You know that you would have to learn nautical terms first, right?"

"I know lots of nautical terms!" Rory cried. "Shiver me timbers! Aye, aye Captain! Cast the line! Drop anchor! Bring me that horizon! Trim that sail! Haul the pennant line! I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

"Okay," Lorelai interrupted. "Now you're just quoting Pirates of the Caribbean."

Rory shrugged in agreement. "That's doesn't mean they're not nautical terms."

Luke rolled his eyes and went to get their food, leaving Lorelai to continue trying to encourage her daughter.

"How's your Mac and Cheese?" She asked after a while.

"It's not having it's usual effects," Rory moped.

"Sorry," Lorelai frowned. "Do you want some french toast?"

"No thanks."

"You know I'm not just saying all this stuff, right?" Lorelai checked. "I really do believe that this is just a setback and everything is going to work out."

"I know," Rory sighed. "Mark Twain."

"Sorry?" Lorelai frowned.

"Mark Twain had to work as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi before he became a successful writer," Rory explained. "And if he hadn't had that experience, he would have never written Huckleberry Finn."

"Which is on of your favourite books!" Lorelai nodded.

"Remember when I made you have my twelfth birthday party at the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford?" Rory reminisced.

"I thought I was gonna find you on a raft made of empty milk cartons one day, sailing down the Housatonic river," Lorelai smiled.

As she spoke, Rory's phone started to ring.

"It's Jess," she announced, checking the ID.

"Go," Lorelai waved her outside.

Rory got up and made her way outside before answering, watching through the window as her mom and Luke obviously discussed her.

"How did your final go?" Jess asked.

"Bad," Rory huffed and explained what had happened.

"Oh, Ror," he said sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, my mom has dedicated the next three days to improving my outlook on life," Rory shook her head.

"Oh, then you definitely don't need me," Jess laughed.

"I wouldn't go that far," Rory frowned. "You're still going to be here for graduation next week, right?"

"Of course," Jess assured her. "Just try and keep me away."

Rory chuckled at the sentiment, making Jess smile.

"I should get back," Rory finally sighed. "Mom has a very strict itinerary of fun-filled activities. I'm supposed to go hang out with Lane and the boys for a bit, then we're going shopping and to watch Miss Patty and Babette debut their cabaret act at KC's tonight."

"Sounds fun," Jess laughed. "Call if you need me."

"I will," Rory promised. "I love you."

"I love you, too. And don't let the Times' idiocy or one bad final get to you. It's all going to be a blip on the radar when you've got that diploma in your hands next week."

When she got back inside, Luke handed over a box of snacking comfort food and sent her off to Lane's while Lorelai headed back to the Inn to finish up a couple hours of work, promising to meet her at Lane's as soon as possible so they could indulge in some retail therapy before dinner.

"Any special requests for dinner?" Luke asked before she left.

"No," Rory smiled appreciatively. "But thanks."

"If you think of something, call," Luke made her promise. "I'm in a pitying mood."

"Great," Rory rolled her eyes and left while Luke smiled after her.

She was going to be okay, he was sure of it.

Lane was full of exciting news. As soon as Rory walked inside, she practically exploded with the news of Zach's newly acquired gig as the lead guitarist for Vapor Rub.

"And you're going on tour with him?" Rory frowned. "With the boys?"

"Well, I was going to," Lane nodded.

"But?" Rory heard the apprehension in her tone.

"But now that I've had a couple days to think about it, I'm seriously questioning the decision," she sighed. "I mean, it's hard enough taking care of the boys here, where I have my mom and Brian and the rest of the town to help me out. I don't think I'll be able to do it out of a tour bus."

"Have you told Zach?"  
"Not yet," Lane shook her head. "My mom is taking care of the boys tonight so we can go to KC's and have some time to ourselves, so I think I'll tell him then."

When Lorelai came to get Rory to go shopping, she and Lane had just gotten the boys to sleep and were spread out on the floor and couch, each with a baby in their arms.

"Behold, a vision of things to come," Lorelai whispered as she entered the house.

"Not any time soon," Rory assured her, carefully getting up and placing Steve in his bassinet.

"That's what I said," Lane pointed out.

"I have a better track record when it comes to birth control," Rory shot back. "And a longer one."

"Good point," Lane laughed. "Thanks for your help."

"Anytime," Rory smiled down at the sleeping baby. "I love hanging out with my God-babies. See you at KC's?" Rory turned back to Lane.

"See you there," she agreed. "Bye, Lorelai."

"Bye, Hon!" Lorelai waved, making sure to close the door as quietly as possible.

Patty and Babette's act was as entertaining as Rory thought it would be, but she was far more excited for the Karaoke portion of the evening to start. She had been slowly guilting her mother into getting up and singing her a song, and she was pretty sure she was ready to agree- with the help of some tequila, of course.

She knew she was winning when her mother announced that Kirk's butchering of a classic Violent Femmes song was 'pretty good'. Without telling her, she slipped over to the list and wrote her mother's into the next available slot.

"Get those pipes warmed up," she announced, returning to the table. "You're up next."

"I can't follow that!" Lorelai cried. "Kirk can really sing."

"Come on!" Rory prodded. "If you don't sing, you're going to ruin all the good cheering up you've been doing all day."

"You are relentless," her mother glared at her as best she could with four shots of tequila in her system.

"I'm thinking something early Madonna," Rory grinned.

"Hey!" Lane and Zach approached their table, each carrying a drink. "How was shopping?"

"Very spirit lifting," Rory assured her. "But I've decided the only thing that will really make me feel better is if Mom sings."

"Oh yeah!" Zach nodded eagerly.

"You should!" Lane agreed. "It'll make us all happy!"

"I have rubbed off far too much on the two of you," Lorelai pointed between the girls.

"Yes you have," Rory smiled.

"I'm a little too tipsy," Lorelai frowned and got to her feet. "Pretzels or peanuts?"

"Pretzels," Rory smiled. "And remember, if you sneak out the back door I will fall into a deep depression."

"Drat," Lorelai snapped her fingers and staggered away, leaving the others to heckle Kirk.

From the corner of her eye, Rory noticed Luke slip inside just as her mother took the stage and waved him over.

"Honey, it's another embarrassing moment for you diary!" Lorelai called to her daughter from the stage, another shot in her hand. "Happy graduation!"

She raised her glass and downed it's contents as the music started to play.

"If I... should stay," Lorelai started to sing, giggling nervously in between words.

Rory had to admire her mother, the woman didn't do anything half ass.

"She's a Whitney fan?" Lane gawked.

"I'm pretty sure it's Dolly inspired," Rory laughed, then turned to her stepfather. "What do you think?"

"I think she's drunk," he chuckled. "Feeling better?"

"Much," Rory grinned and turned her attention back to the woman on stage. "God, I wish I had a video camera."

Before the end of the night, just about everyone had sung, including Rory and Lane, who got up and gave a salute to the Spice Girls sometime after Rory's third drink. Lorelai sang a couple more songs too before Luke finally herded them out the door and back to the house.

Feeling much better the next morning, Rory decided to get her stuff together and head back to school to study for her next final, but not before witnessing the hangover her mother had inflicted on herself.

"Morning!" She greeted Lorelai happily as she stood at the stove making her an omelette.

When she received nothing but an angry groan in response, she chuckled to herself and passed her mother a cup of coffee.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai frowned after taking a sip, noticing that the stove was in use. "Why aren't you more hungover?"

"Well, I stopped drinking several shots before you," Rory pointed out.

"Are you going?" Lorelai noticed the bag sitting outside Rory's door.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop by Lane's again, and then I'm going to go back to school and start studying for my net final," Rory set a plate in front of her mother and sat down. "I intend to hand in all my blue books next time."

"That's too bad," Lorelai sulked. "I had a whole second day of pick-me-up plans, including a clown and some pony rides and absolutely no drinking at all."

"You shouldn't have devised such an effective first day pick-me-up plan," Rory shrugged.

"Well, live and learn."

"I really do feel better, though," Rory assured her. "All the wallowing and the eating and the shopping. And maybe it's because you wished me 'joy and happiness'."

"Liked that, did you?" Lorelai chuckled humorlessly.

"It cheered me up," Rory beamed.

"I'm glad. Don't expect me to do it again."

Rory snorted and kissed her mother's cheek. "Enjoy your breakfast, I've got to go."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Lorelai sighed.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter Sixty-Five**

Before she knew it, finals were over and Rory was only days away from graduation.

Paris had sold almost all of the furniture in their apartment, deciding that it would be easier to buy more when she got to Boston, resulting in Rory spending most of her time sitting on the floor while they packed all their stuff.

Paris and Doyle were putting all their possessions in storage for the net few months, as they had decided to backpack through India for the summer, while Rory had been slowly shuttling all her stuff back to Stars Hollow in between writing finals. The day before graduation, Jess arrived to help her finish packing and to go to the party Richard and Emily were throwing for her. Rory was thrilled when he showed up, as she had been getting pretty sentimental over the last few days and Paris was going to kill her if she took one more picture.

"Get her away from me!" Paris snarled as soon as Jess walked in.

"Just one more picture!" Rory cried, holding up her camera. "Make the annoyed face again!"

"I'm going to push her out the window," Paris threatened.

"Right," Jess nodded and pried the camera from Rory's hands. "Hey, let's go over here."

"Hey!" Rory protested, chasing after him. "Give me that!"

Jess didn't comply until they were in her room. "Here," he handed her the camera and kissed her. "Happy almost graduation."

"Thank you," she beamed. "How was the drive?"

"Just as long as usual," Jess shrugged. "Where's all your furniture?"

"Paris has systematically sold it off to anyone willing to pay- she's actually made enough money to get her and Doyle through India without dipping into their savings."

"Well, she's very dedicated, " Jess shrugged. "And absolutely terrifying. I wouldn't want to try and barter with her."

"Yeah, no one else does either," Rory snorted.

"Quit sucking face and get out here!" Paris banged on the door suddenly. "We have spackling to do!"

Jess muttered something about drill sergeants as they moped out of the room, making Rory laugh. They had barely started when Lorelai called.

"So, what are the chances you can get some extra graduation tickets?" She asked. "Apparently the entire town wants to come."

"Oh, that's sweet! Impossible, but sweet," Rory shook her head. "We only get four, and people have been trying to get extra since September. But it's sweet that they want to come."

"Not even on the black market?" Lorelai asked desperately.

"No, and besides I think we're probably priced out of that," Rory frowned.

"You know the house is going to get egged when I tell everyone, right?"

"Sorry," Rory shrugged. "Jess will help you scrub it off when we get back."

"What am I scrubbing?" Jess frowned at her.

"Eggs," she put the phone to her ear. "The town is going to start a mutiny."

"Right," Jess nodded along as if this made sense, then turned is attention back to the wall Paris had assigned him to.

"Wait, four?" Lorelai asked. "There's me, Luke, Jess, your grandparents, Chris-"

"Grandpa's still on the faculty list," Rory explained. "He and Grandma don't need tickets."

"Mm, gotcha."

"Alright, I gotta go," Rory noticed Paris glaring at her from the other side of the room. "If I don't get back to spackling, Paris is going to injure me."

"Oh, well, spackle well," Lorelai offered. "Or whatever it is you say to encourage a successful spackle."

"Have a good spackle?" Rory mused.

"Spackle on?"

"Break a spackle?"

"Knock on spackle if things work out," Lorelai fished.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Rory laughed.

"See you tonight."

"Tonight," Rory agreed.

After a long afternoon of spackling, Rory and Jess packed both their cars to the brim with boxes and suitcases and headed for Stars Hollow.

"What is all this?" Luke demanded when he came downstairs and found them unloading it all into the middle of the diner.

"All my worldly possessions," Rory said.

"Why are they in the middle of my diner?"

"Because the stairs are far away," she frowned.

"Move them," he ordered.

"But Luke-" Rory pouted.

"Move!"

"Fine," she frowned and started to drag a suitcase across the floor. "You're not going to help?"

"I'm trying to run a business."

"There's no one here!" Rory cried.

"Fine," Luke huffed and picked up a box. "Geez! What the hell do you have in here?"

"All my worldly possessions," Rory repeated. "Weren't you listening? I'm gonna go help Jess with the next load."

"Next load!?" Luke cried as she scurried outside. "Rory!"

His annoyed cries went unanswered, so he gave up and started lugging everything upstairs, knowing full well that he would be lugging it all back down a few weeks later when Rory moved to Philly full time. Jess came in a few minutes later to lend a hand while Rory started sorting everything into piles of what she would need for day to day living and what could be left packed.

"Where did all of this come from?" Luke demanded when they were done. "I've been to the apartment you were in, it wasn't that big."

"I'm fantastic at storage," Rory grinned.

"Storage isn't a verb," Jess pointed out.

"How would you know? Are you a college graduate?"

"I'm an author, we know these thing," Jess shrugged. "And you're not a college graduate until tomorrow. There's still time for things to change."

"Bite your tongue!" Rory smacked him upside the head.

"Sorry," he bit back a smile.

"Okay, I'm heading to the town meeting," Luke rolled his eyes at the two of them. "You coming?"

"I have to get ready for the party," Rory shook her head.

"Right," Luke nodded. "Okay. See you there, then."

"See you there," Rory nodded.

She and Jess made their way out to Hartford a few hours later, making sure to arrive early as per Emily's instructions. They were just in time to see the matriarch start screaming at a waiter about the distance between tables.

"Do you think she saw us?" Jess whispered, inching backwards. "Or can we still sneak out?"

"There you are!" Emily cried, turning on them.

"Damn," Jess muttered.

"You shouldn't have whispered," Rory shrugged. "The woman hears absolutely everything. Hi Grandma!"

"Oh, Rory, you look lovely," Emily beamed. "Hello, Jess."

"Mrs. Gilmore," Jess nodded.

"Rory!" Richard suddenly appeared, smiling brightly. "Jess! How are you?"

"I'm good, sir," Jess shook the man's hand.

"How many times do I need to tell you, call me Richard!" The older man scolded, then pulled his granddaughter into a hug. "How's the graduate?"

"I'm good, Grandpa," Rory laughed. "This place looks amazing."

"Thank you," Emily grinned. "Where's your mother? She's supposed to be bringing the cake."

"She's on her way," Rory promised. "She had a meeting and then she was coming. She should be here in a few minutes."

Emily nodded and ran off to deal with whatever crisis she was sure was about to occur, leaving her husband to entertain the two young people until guests started to arrive. The three of them sat at one of the tables with champagne and chatted about the author who was going to be giving the commencement speech the next day.

"Hey!" Luke and Lorelai joined them a while later, a large cake box in hand.

"You're late!" Emily appeared out of nowhere, startling everyone. "People are going to be arriving any minute!"

"Hi, Mom," Lorelai smiled. "How are you?"

"Honestly, I gave you one simple job, get the cake," Emily muttered. "Go take it into the kitchen."

"Sure," Lorelai rolled her eyes and followed a waiter out of the room, leaving Luke to join the others at the table.

As soon as guests started arriving, however, Rory was ripped from her families loving arms and thrown to the wolves- or at least to the D.A.R. To their credit, Jess did his best to rescue her as often as he possibly could, coming up with excuses to get them out of many a boring conversation, but even his professional avoidance skills couldn't hold up against Richard and Emily Gilmores friends. By the second hour, they had completely run out of escape plans and Rory was tempted to fake a seizure to get them out of there. They were saved for a few minutes when Christopher arrived, slipping into a corner together to catch up and listen to Chris lament about how terrifying it was to have a daughter graduating from college, but before they knew it they were back in the frying pan of society. Rory was sure that she was verging on the drunken end of tipsy, having started to rely completely on the circulating champagne to keep herself from exploding. Jess wasn't doing much better, but he was far better at hiding it than she was. Luke and Lorelai had noticed the state they were in and were just waiting for Emily to notice and start yelling at them. Unfortunately she was too preoccupied by her hostess duties and excitement about the next day to notice. When she and her husband called for everyone's attention, however, it was made abundantly clear that Rory and Jess weren't the only ones taking advantage of the free champagne as Richard and Emily burst into song to celebrate their granddaughter- much to Rory and Lorelai's amusement.

"Wow!" Rory hugged them both at the end of the performance. "That was... great! Thank you so much!"

She made a short speech about how grateful she was to them for what they had done, explaining to the crowd that she would never have been able to go to Yale without their help. Lorelai and Christopher also offered short speeches of congratulations to their daughter, though neither one was as entertaining as Richard and Emily.

"What would you do if I got up there and proposed?" Jess whispered while they listened to Christopher tell a funny story about Rory when she was little (one of the few he had been around for).

"I'd leave you," Rory assured him. "And possibly run you over in the parking lot."

"Damn," he snapped his fingers. "I had a great speech in mind."

Rory bit back a laugh and elbowed him in the ribs, turning her attention back to her father while Jess smirked beside her. As the night drew to a close, Rory and Jess slipped out and made their way to a far more entertaining party that Lucy and Olivia had invited them to, partying with what seemed like the entire graduating class until early in the morning, before taking a cab back to Stars Hollow and crashing for a few hours.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter Sixty-Five**

"Happy Graduation Day," Jess whispered in Rory's ear the next morning, holding a cup of coffee under her nose.

Rory groaned and pulled a pillow over her head in protest.

"Come on," Jess laughed. "You have to get up."

"Go away!" Rory mumbled. "I'm sleeping."

"You're hungover," Jess corrected. "As every good graduate should be. Up and at 'em Gilmore. You're getting a diploma today."

"God," Rory rolled over and stared up at him. "I'm graduating."

"You are," he confirmed.

A huge smile started to spread over her face. "I'm graduating!"

Jess laughed and handed her a cup of coffee. "You better get moving. You don't want to be late for your celebratory pre-drinking with Paris, Lucy and Olivia."

Rory jumped up and took the coffee, then disappeared into the bathroom to shower and get ready. She had just over three hours until she needed to be on campus for the first commencement speech.

While Rory monopolized the bathroom, Jess made them breakfast. Luke had decided to close the diner for the day, not wanting to miss any part of Rory's graduation day, so he was forced to scrounge what he could from the apartment. Unfortunately, neither he or Rory had stayed in the apartment for more than a couple days since March, so their supplies were pretty low. He ended up making some toaster waffles and Poptarts.

"Wow," Rory laughed at the plate he handed her. "Such a special breakfast for such a special day."

"What can I say, I'm sentimental," Jess shrugged. "You done in there?"

"It's all yours," she nodded. "I may have used all the hot water, though."

"Nice."

"Hey, it's my day!" She stuck her tongue out at him and bit into a waffle. "These are freezer burned."

"Welcome to the real world!" Jess kissed her forehead and went to take his turn in the shower.

Deciding that it was her special day and she could do what she wanted, and realizing she still had plenty of time, Rory decided to join him.

When they got to campus, Jess went off with Luke and Lorelai to get seats while Rory joined her fellow graduates. Lucy and Olivia had procured a couple bottles of champagne and they had decided to open the first one early, seeing as the first speaker was notoriously dull.

Rory was more than happy to join in as her head was still pounding from the previous night's drinking.

"Hair of the dog," she held up the bottle to toast.

"Here, here!" Lucy and Olivia agreed.

For the first ceremony, they were all able to sit together, but the proper diploma ceremony forced them to split up, Paris and Rory going to one stage while Lucy and Olivia went to another.

Knowing they wouldn't see each other for a while, it was a tearful- if somewhat tipsy- farewell, with many promises to call and e-mail as much as possible. When the lines started moving, Lucy and Olivia ran off to join their group while Paris and Rory strolled away arm in arm.

"So have you thought about what you're going to say?" Paris asked.

"What?"

"When he hands you the diploma," she clarified. "I can't decide between 'thank you' and 'thank you very much'. I mean, it's an important moment and I want to do it right. 'Thank you' sounds kind of casual, you know? Like he's handing me a slice of pizza, but 'thank you so much' seems a bit much."

"I think I'm just going to go with a polite smile and a 'thank you'," Rory offered.

The girls joined their line and Rory took a deep breath. "This is it."

"Yeah," Paris nodded. "We've been drafting each other since high school, and now it's each woman for herself. Who knows when we'll see each other again."

"Paris, I haven't been able to shake you after all these years," Rory rolled her eyes. "We're going to be friends for a _very_ long time."

"You're going to do great things!" Paris smiled and suddenly launched herself at Rory, pulling her into an emotional hug.

"Oh!" Rory gasped in surprise, then hugged her back. "You too, Paris."

"G's you're moving!" A woman suddenly called, urging the line forward.

Paris pulled away and took a deep breath. "Unto the breach!"

Standing in that line, waiting for her name to be called, Rory was struck by how different the feeling of graduating college was from the feeling of graduating high school. This seemed so much more final. She looked through the crowd, trying to pick out her family, but was too short to see them. She hoped she would be able to make them out once she was on stage.

As she waited, time seemed to both slow down and speed up. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion as Paris's name was called and she walked across the stage to accept her diploma, then a girl Rory had never met, and then, all at once, it was her turn. Her feet moved of their own volition, carrying her up the stairs and across the stage, where the Dean handed her a diploma.

"Thank you," Rory smiled at him, breathing heavily.

"Congratulations," he smiled back.

She took a few steps away and turned to look out at the crowd. Right, smack dab in the middle, her mother, father, boyfriend and stepfather were on their feet, cheering, clapping and beaming at her. Rory could see tears in her mother's eyes, and she started to tear up a little herself. As she reached up and moved the tassel on her cap from one side to the other, she couldn't help but think that she had never seen her family so proud of her- and that she had never been so proud of herself.

She had done it. After four years and countless hours of studying, stressing and suffering, she had done it. She was a Yale graduate, and it felt damn good.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter Sixty-Seven**

When the ceremony was finally over, Rory couldn't get to her family fast enough, pushing through the crowd and making a run for her mother, who was waiting with open arms.

"Congratulations!" Lorelai squealed, hugging her tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"

Pulling away from her after a minute, Rory turned to Jess who was smiling so brightly she thought his face might split in half.

"You did it."

Rory laughed and threw herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as he picked her up and spun her around excitedly.

"Congratulations," Chris chuckled at their display, waiting for his turn to hug the graduate.

"Thanks, Dad," Rory smiled and hugged him, then turned to Luke, who was smiling even more than Jess.

"Well, how's it feel?"

"Amazing!" Rory laughed and hugged him.

"Hey, so now that you've graduated, can we bring back that stupid mattress?"

Lorelai and Rory started laughing hysterically while the rest of the group stood around looking confused.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Emily demanded. "What mattress?"

"Don't worry about it," Lorelai waved her off while Rory moved to hug her grandparents.

"Honestly," Emily rolled her eyes and accepted Rory's hug. "Congratulations, Rory. We're so proud of you."

"Yes, very proud," Richard agreed. "Now, what do you say we get some pictures to commemorate this proud moment?"

Rory desperately wanted to say 'Screw it', but smiled and followed as she was lead to a deserted area of campus to take what seemed like an endless amount of pictures.

"Okay, seriously," Lorelai finally put a stop to the affair. "We have taken every single possible combination of pictures, I think it's enough."

"Just one more!" Emily insisted. "How about Rory and Jess together?"

"Grandma, we've got tons of pictures together," Rory complained.

"Not in a cap and gown."

"Yes in a cap and gown," she argued. "We took one twenty minutes ago."

"Well, one more won't kill you. Go stand over there."

Rory and Jess both sighed heavily and moved back to the photo tree.

"Alright, say 'fromage'," Richard called, resulting in annoyed groans from the entire family.

"Do you have to say that every time!?" Lorelai complained. "It's not funny anymore."

"Fine. Say whatever you like," he allowed.

Just before he could take the picture, Jess grabbed Rory and kissed her roughly, dipping her dramatically, much to Emily's shock and disapproval. Her glare seemed to soften, however, when they stood back up and Rory pulled away from him laughing hysterically. That moment was deemed the best photo of the day, Richard having captured the elated looks on both their faces by pure chance.

"Okay, can we be done now?" Rory turned to her grandmother. "I've been drinking since noon and I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Charming," Emily pursed her lips. "Our Yale graduate, the alcoholic."

Rory simply shrugged in agreement, turning to her mother to help in her pleas.

"Come on, Mom," Lorelai jumped in. "Doesn't the graduate deserve to eat?"

"Of course she does, Lorelai," Emily rolled her eyes. "But it's too early for dinner."

"It's not too early for a snack," Christopher offered. "How about it? What are you in the mood for?"

"Mm... tacos," Rory decided.

"Tacos?" Emily frowned.

"It's a taco kind of day," Lorelai shrugged. "Come on, Mom. You guys can follow us. Hector's?"

"Hector's," Rory grinned. "Let's go."

"Where?" Richard frowned.

"You're gonna love it," Rory assured him. "Come on."

She took Jess's hand and started to pull him across the lawn towards the parking lot, everyone else trailing behind him.

"You seem very proud of yourself," Jess observed as they walked.

"I just got Emily and Richard Gilmore to agree to go to Hector's Tacos," she grinned. "I'm beyond proud."

"There's also that whole graduating from Yale thing," Jess offered.

"Well sure," she giggled and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I graduated."

"You graduated," Jess laughed and threw an arm around her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." She could feel herself blushing, just as she had been all day when people congratulated her.

"So, how does it feel to be a free woman?" Lorelai asked, catching up to the pair and falling into step beside her daughter.

"It feels damn good," Rory admitted. "Albeit a little scary, since I still have no idea what I'm going to do next."

"Ah, but see, I have a solution for that," her mother grinned.

"You do?" Rory frowned.

"We're taking a trip."

"A trip?"

"Yes," Lorelai jumped around excitedly. "I have decided, that since April and Luke aren't going to be doing their big boat trip, I'm going to give them a vacation to themselves and you and I are going to tackle the best roller coasters on the east coast."

"Wow," Rory nodded appreciatively. "When did you come up with this plan?"

"Yesterday, right after the meeting to plan your Graduation Reenactment party."

"My what?" Rory demanded.

"Oh, yeah, did I forget to tell you that?" Lorelai tried to sound innocent.

"It seems there are a lot of things you've neglected to tell me lately," Rory crossed her arms. "Now, explain."

"Well, during your graduation party we're going to have a little reenactment of today for everyone who didn't get to come," Lorelai told her. "All you have to do is get your cap and gown on, listen to the Stars Hollow High band play a song and accept your diploma from Taylor."

"That's all," Rory turned to Jess, who was smirking.

"Come on!" Lorelai poked her encouragingly. "It's a party, it'll be fun!"

This obviously wasn't convincing Rory, so she decided to try a different tactic.

"If you do it, I won't make fun of you for being a screamer when we go on our trip."

"I'm not a screamer!" Rory argued.

"You so are, I have the burst ear drum to prove it!"

"One time," Rory rolled her eyes.

"Once is enough for eternal mockery," her mother insisted. "But I will forgo that if you do the reenactment with minimal animosity."

"Minimal?" Rory sighed.

"Minimal," Lorelai agreed. "I mean, a little bit is totally understandable."

"Fine."

"Great!" Lorelai clapped happily. "And we can start planning our trip tomorrow."

Before Rory could point out that she hadn't agreed to a trip yet, Lorelai bounced back to her husband to tell him the good news about the graduation party.

"So apparently I'm going on a trip to ride all the best roller coasters," Rory turned back to Jess. "Thoughts?"

"Don't throw up," he shrugged.

"Obviously," Rory rolled her eyes. "Think you can do without me for a couple weeks?"

"I think I'll manage," Jess nodded. "But until then, I have some serious celebrating plans."

"Oh really?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "What kind of celebrating?"

"The kind that we're not going to talk about in front of Emily Gilmore," Jess snorted. "For fear of castration or death."

Rory laughed and shook her head at him. "You're incorrigible."

"It's one of my many talents," he stopped and pulled her into a kiss.

"Hey, cut that out!" Lorelai yelled at them.

"Or what?" Rory shot back, her forehead resting against Jess's.

"Or I'll start making out with Luke," she threatened.

"Go for it," Jess shrugged. "We're a little too busy to care."

"That is completely inappropriate!" Emily snapped as she, Richard and Christopher caught up to them. "Honestly, can't the two of you control yourselves?"

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Lorelai frowned at her mother. "They're the ones who were doing it!"

"Yes, but you and your daughter were the ones screaming about it for the rest of the world to hear," Emily scolded.

Lorelai and Rory exchanged amused looks, then turned back to Emily and nodded solemnly.

"Sorry, Mom."

"Yeah, sorry Grandma," Rory echoed. "We'll keep our dirtiness confined to the car."

The shocked look on Emily Gilmore's face was enough to make Rory and Lorelai's entire year, and resulted in Rory and Jess taking off for their car at a run before the older woman could yell at them.

"She's going to kill you," Jess laughed once they were in the car.

Rory was trying to get out of her cap and gown, but failing miserably because she was laughing too hard.

"It was just too good an opportunity to pass up," she shrugged.

"I don't think I've ever seen Lorelai look so proud."

Rory smiled smugly. "Come on, let's go get tacos."

After a relatively successful snack at Hector's, in which Emily scolded Rory for her crass behaviour and Richard tried tacos for the first time, the eldest Gilmores insisted on taking Rory and Jess for a drink. After drinks, Jess took Rory out for a celebratory dinner at one of the most romantic restaurants in town, much to her surprise and delight, and gave her her graduation gift.

"It's beautiful!" Rory gasped, staring at the book she had just unwrapped- a leather bound first edition of _Oliver Twist._ "How did you get this?!"

"Prayer and clean living," Jess smirked.

"No, seriously," Rory looked up at him.

"I'm a very talented internet user," he amended. "And E-bay is my friend."

"Obviously," Rory chuckled. "This is amazing! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Jess smiled. "You deserve it."

"I love you, Dodger," Rory beamed at him.

"I love you, too." Jess leaned over the table to kiss her.

They finished dinner and made their way back to the apartment above the diner where Jess planned to make good on his earlier celebration plans.


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter Sixty-Seven**

When Rory woke up the next morning, she had a kind of surreal feeling. For the first time in her entire life, she didn't have to do anything. She didn't have any classes to go to, tests to study for or assignments to get done. She didn't even have any applications to fill out, having sent her resume to every paper within a reasonable distance of Philly and every online paper she could think of. All she could do now was wait. If she wanted, she could spend the entire day laying in bed with her boyfriend, and not once feel like she was wasting her time.

"You already have a job," Jess pointed out when she shared her observations.

"Yes, but I haven't had anything to edit in weeks and that's always been more of a hobby than a job," Rory reasoned.

"Good to know," Jess nodded. "If it's a hobby do we still have to send you a pay cheque?"

"You're funny," Rory rolled her eyes. "Come on, I told Mom I'd have breakfast with her so we could start planning our trip."

"You go ahead," Jess said. "I've got a couple things I want to get done before I go anywhere."

Rory frowned at him, knowing full well that Jess never did anything before breakfast and coffee.

"I'll be down in a little bit," he promised.

"Okay," Rory nodded skeptically and headed down to the diner, wondering what it was he was doing that was keeping him from breakfast.

"There you are!" Lorelai cried when she emerged from the stairwell. "I was about to send out a search party."

"You could have just come upstairs," Rory frowned.

"No thank you. I have no desire to add any more scarring images to my brain."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "What's all this?" She motioned to the pile of notebooks and miscellaneous papers scattered all over the table her mother had commandeered.

"This is our trip."

"Oh, I didn't realize we were going to have to use our imaginations."

"Hardy har," Lorelai scowled at her daughter. "Sit down and listen."

Rory poured herself a cup of coffee and dropped into a chair to listen to her mother's presentation. The trip would be two weeks long, and they would be hitting up a total of twelve amusement parks as well as one state fair.

"Wow, you've put a lot of planning into this," Rory nodded appreciatively.

"Well, I figure that now you're a college graduate and you're moving in with your boyfriend- in another state, I might add- we deserve one last Mommy-Daughter road trip," Lorelai shrugged.

"This is not going to be our last Mommy-Daughter road trip," Rory assured her. "There will be many Mommy-Daughter road trips in our future."

"You say that now, but just wait until Hemingway pops the question and you start cranking out babies like Lane and Zach," Lorelai shook her head. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Who's cranking out babies like Lane and Zach?" Luke asked, carrying a fresh pot of coffee.

"Apparently Jess and I," Rory frowned.

"Excuse me?" All the colour had suddenly drained out of Luke's face and his hands had started to shake.

"I'm not pregnant!" Rory rushed to reassure him.

"Oh, Geez!" Luke breathed heavily, leaning against the table. "Don't scare a man like that."

"Sorry," she bit back a laugh. "Mom has just created some sort of alternate reality in which I'm going to move in with Jess and suddenly become a baby machine who she'll never see again."

"Please don't do that," Luke begged.

"I promise," Rory patted his arm. "Now, how about some coffee?"

"Right," he nodded and filled their mugs then turned to go back to the counter, only to be stopped by his wife.

"Leave the pot, Ethel."

"You have a problem," he grumbled, but set the pot on the table.

"And bring us some eggs and bacon while you're at it!" Lorelai called as he walked away.

"And hashbrowns!" Rory added.

"And french toast!"

Luke waved in acknowledgement and slipped into the kitchen, leaving them to get back to their planning.

"So, when exactly do we leave for this trip?" Rory asked.

"I was thinking next Monday, after the party."

"Alright," Rory nodded. "Next Monday it is."

Luke came out with their breakfast a few minutes later before going to talk to his meat guy about getting the burgers and hot dogs for Rory's party. As he haggled, Liz came in with Doula.

"Rory!" She beamed when she saw her. "Congratulations!"

"Hi, Liz," Rory smiled back. "Thanks. How are you? How's Doula?"

"We're great," Liz smiled down at the pram she was pushing. "We just thought we'd come see Uncle Luke, didn't we?"

"I can't babysit!" Luke called as soon as he heard this.

"Oh, come on!" Liz turned to him, trying to look as pathetic as possible. "Doula misses you!"

"Liz, look around," he waved at the packed diner. "I'm swamped. I cannot babysit."

"Please!" His sister begged. "I just need a little break!"

"No," Luke shook his head.

"Liz," Rory spoke up. "Jess and I can take her for a little bit, if you want."

"Really?" Liz turned to her excitedly. "You would do that?"

"Of course," Rory nodded. "It's not like I have anything else to do, anyways. It's the first time in my entire life that I don't have any sort of schoolwork to do and I'm kind of at a loss."

"Oh, you are just the best!" Liz jumped up and hugged her, much to Rory's surprise. "What my son did to deserve you, I will never know. Here's her diaper bag, it's got her bottles and formula and diapers, and she's really into mashed sweet potatoes and bananas. I'll be back in a couple hours!"

She leaned down and gave the baby a quick kiss, then ran out the door, yelling a thanks to Rory again.

"Wow, you're such a brown-noser," Lorelai laughed at her daughter.

"What are you talking about?" She frowned, pushing the pram back and forth to keep Doula happy.

"Trying to get on your boyfriend's mother's good side."

"I don't need to try," Rory snorted. "Liz loves me more than she loves Jess."

"That's not true," Lorelai shook her head.

"Yes it is!" Luke called back, making Rory smile.

After a while, Doula seemed to get tired of the pram and Lorelai had to go to work, so Rory took the baby upstairs to see Jess.

When she walked in the door, she found him sitting at the kitchen table having a hushed conversation with his laptop.

"What the hell are you doing?" She frowned at him.

"I thought you were having breakfast!" He jumped about a foot in the air and tilted his computer screen down.

"I finished. What are you doing, watching porn?"

"You think after last night I need to watch porn?" Jess frowned at her.

"Well, I don't know," Rory shrugged. "You were talking to the computer and now you're hiding the screen, that's my first instinct, yeah."

"Your instincts suck," Jess assured her.

"Then what are you doing?" Rory dropped Doula's diaper bag and repositioned her on her hip before approaching the computer.

"Nothing," Jess tried to move the computer away from her reach. "Hi, Doula."

"What are you hiding?" Rory cried, getting annoyed.

"I'll tell you later," Jess continued trying to evade her.

Unfortunately, Doula was unaware of his attempts and lunged for him, forcing Jess to abandon his efforts to hide the computer and catch her.

"Good girl," Rory grinned at the baby and snatched the computer off the table.

When she opened the screen again, she found that Skype was open and Jess had just finished a call to Matt.

"Why are you hiding Matt from me?" She crossed her arms. "What's going on here?"

"Something that I was going to wait to talk to you about," Jess said evasively.

"Well it seems like you're going to have to change your plan."

"Fine," Jess huffed. "Come on."

He got up and made his way over to the couch, sitting down and letting Doula play on the floor in front of him. Rory followed and sat down beside him.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Rory asked, half joking, half worried.

"No!" Jess shook his head vehemently. "Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Because you're being really weird right now!" Rory cried, startling Doula. "I'm sorry," she reached down and shook a teddy bear around for her. Easily distracted, Doula started chewing on the bears ear and allowed Rory to turn her attention back to Jess.

"I'm not breaking up with you," he repeated. "I have a proposition for you. A business proposition."

"This is feeling very Pretty Woman," Rory continued to frown.

"Will you be quiet for a minute?" Jess huffed.

"Sorry." Rory put her hands in her lap and tried to keep quiet.

"Okay, well, here's the thing," Jess started to explain. "Matt's been putting a lot of time and effort into the bar lately, and we've been talking about it a lot and he's decided to step away from Truncheon and completely focus on it."

"Good for him," Rory nodded. "Cynthia's been saying that he wanted to do that since you opened the place."

"Right," Jess nodded. "But he wants to completely walk away from the publishing house, and we're going to need someone to take his place."

He stopped and watched Rory closely, twitching nervously.

"And?" Rory prompted.

"And we've been talking," he continued. "And I know that it's not the New York Times or another big newspaper, or a newspaper at all, but you'd still get to do all the journalism stuff that you wanted and-"

"Babe, you're babbling," Rory frowned. "Catch a wave."

"We wanted to know if you would be interested in buying him out to be an equal partner with Chris and I at Truncheon and take over for Matt."

"You want me to buy Matt out and become a full partner?" Rory gaped at him.

"Yes," he nodded nervously. "So, what do you think?"

Rory let out a small laugh and smiled. "Why were you so nervous about telling me this?"

"I don't want you to think that we're just asking you because you haven't found a job yet and feel bad or something. We really do want you to be our partner," Jess tried to explain.

"I don't think that," Rory promised. "And I would love to join Truncheon permanently. You know how much I love it, it's like a second home to me."

"Really?" Jess asked, an excited look on his face. "Because I would completely understand if you wanted to find a paper to work at, I know that's your dream."

"Jess," Rory shook her head. "Everything I want to do at a paper, I can do at Truncheon. I'll write articles for the zine and still get to do all the editing that I love. This is perfect!"

"Really?" Jess asked again.

"Really," Rory laughed and leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," Jess shook his head. "We'd be lost without you there. We should be thanking you."

"I can think of a couple ways for you to do that."

"Oh yeah?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Before Rory could give him any ideas, Doula let out a screech, reminding them that she was there and demanding their attention.

"I'll tell you later," Rory laughed and slid onto the floor. "And what are you doing, Miss Doula?"


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter Sixty-Eight**

The rest of the week was spent planning trips. April was arriving a few days after Rory and Lorelai left and she and Luke were going to spend a week in Maine, so Rory and Lorelai were helping him plan as well. On top of that, Rory and Jess were working on getting all the legal work done for Rory to buy out Matt from the company. At Friday night dinner, she had talked to her grandfather about getting early access to her trust fund, which he was all too happy to help her with. When Saturday came, Rory pulled her cap and gown out and listened to the Stars Hollow High band play Pomp and Circumstance- badly- and accepted her fake diploma from Taylor.

The party was a total success, and everyone had a great time. Rory had to admit that it felt bitter sweet, though. The day had a sort of finality about it, on Monday morning she was leaving with her mother for their trip, and when she got back she would be packing up and moving in with Jess permanently. Stars Hollow wouldn't be her home anymore, not that she wouldn't visit all the time, but it still felt strange.

As she thought about this, Lane came and sat down beside her.

"I can't believe you're a college graduate!"

"I know," Rory laughed. "I'm still kind of in awe of it myself."

"Are you excited to be done?"

"Yeah, I am actually. When I get back, we're going to be signing the papers to buy out Matt from Truncheon and I'm going to be a partner in a printing press. I mean, it's like the most perfect job I could have gotten."

"It's very you," Lane laughed. "I'm happy for you."

"Look at us," Rory suddenly laughed. "I'm going off to move in with my boyfriend and help him run his business, and you're married with two kids."

"We're adults," Lane agreed. "God, when did that happen?"

"I don't know," Rory shook her head. "But I don't think I like it."

"Me neither," Lane frowned. "Hey, you wanna go do the macarena and pretend we're nine again?"

"Yes!" Rory laughed and jumped to her feet, running over the gazebo to request a song from DJ Kirk, Lane hot on her heels.

" _That_ is all you," Luke shook his head in disgust as he watched Lane and Rory dance around the square to the most annoying song in the world.

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai cringed. "I never stooped that low."

"Just last week you were dancing around the house listening to DEVO," Luke pointed out.

"That is a classic!" Lorelai gasped. "How dare you even compare the two."

Luke sighed and shook his head, wrapping an arm around his wife.

"She's all grown up, you know?" Lorelai sighed sadly. "She graduated college, she's moving away from home, she's going to be running a publishing house. Soon she's not going to need her Mommy anymore."

"She'll always need you," Luke shook his head. "You're her best friend. Nothing is going to change that. And besides, she doesn't look too grown up right now."

"I guess," Lorelai sighed. "It's just... it's all changing, you know? Our entire lives, it's been me and Rory, and even when she went off to college she still came home all the time, her bedroom was still her bedroom and her house was still her house. But that's all changing now."

"Her bedroom will always be her bedroom and your house will always be her house," Luke promised.

"It's not the same," Lorelai shook her head. "She's growing up."

"Yeah," Luke joined her somber tone.

"Do you remember when she invited you to her caterpillar's funeral?" Lorelai reminisced.

"How could I forget," Luke snorted. "She came thundering into the diner with her fairy wings on, sobbing like the world was ending and asked me to cater."

"God, she was so little and innocent."

"You did good, you know that?" Luke smiled at his wife. "I mean, sure, she's growing up and she's had her ups and downs, but look at her. She's happy and she's successful, and that's all on you."

"I had some help," Lorelai shrugged.

"That's all you," Luke shook his head. "Every inch of that little girl is what you made. You should be pretty proud of yourself."

"She's not that little anymore," Lorelai scoffed.

"To me, she'll always be nine years old, running through town in a pair of fairy wing," Luke shrugged.

"Me too," his wife smiled sadly. "But I can't take all the credit. I don't know what we would've done without you all these years. You're a great Dad."

The term almost made Luke tear up. She had never called him that before in reference to Rory, but now that she had said it, it seemed right. For a moment, Luke's mind flashed back to the night of Richard and Emily's vow renewal, when he and Chris had had a pissing match in a hallway. He had stood there telling Chris what it meant to be a father, listing all the crazy things he had done for that girl, but it hadn't occurred to him until recently that that was what he was. He might not have offered any DNA to her existence, but Rory Gilmore was definitely his daughter.

"We did good," Lorelai smiled tearily.

"We did good," her husband echoed.

Monday morning was absolute chaos. Luke was trying to get everything ready for when April arrived later in the week while Jess was trying to pack his car with as much of Rory's stuff as he could so they wouldn't have as much to move when she got back and Lorelai and Rory were trying to get the car packed and get on the road.

"We have too much stuff!" Rory cried as they attempted to slam the back of the Jeep closed without letting anything fall out.

"It's not too much stuff, it's too little car," Lorelai argued. "Go move the seats up."

"No way! I'm not driving six hours folded up like a cootie catcher!" Rory argued.

"Fine, but I hope you didn't bring anything breakable because when we open that again everything is gonna fall out."

"What would I have brought that's breakable?" Rory frowned.

"I don't know," her mother shrugged. "Your Faberge egg? Or maybe a china tea set."

"You'll be happy to know that I left both those things in the house," Rory rolled her eyes. "But I will be expecting the hotels to provide more."

"I'll be sure to request them when we check in," Lorelai promised. "Okay, Luke's before we go?"

"Definitely," Rory nodded and climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Hey!" Luke greeted them brightly as they walked in. "You on your way out?"

"Yes, but we need sustenance for the road," Rory explained. "Coffee, donuts, fries and anything else you can think of."

"I already made you a box," Luke pointed to a large container by the cash register.

"Thanks!" Rory grinned and peaked inside, pulling out a container of vegetables in disgust. "What is this?"

"It's a snack."

"It's carrots," she grimaced. "Why are there carrots in our sustenance box?"  
"Because they're good for you," Luke said exasperatedly. "Eat them."

"Mom!" Rory complained. "Luke is sending us with carrots."

"That's okay, Honey," Lorelai comforted her daughter. "We can use them to ping the cars that we don't like."

"Oh!" Rory's eyes lit up with excitement.

"There's no winning with you two," Luke cried. "It won't kill you to eat a carrot!"

"But why take the risk?" His wife asked seriously. "Okay, I think we're set. Rory?"

"I'm ready," she agreed. "I'm just going to go say bye to Jess."

She ran up the stairs to the apartment where Jess was sorting out which boxes he could take with him.

"Hey, you going?" He asked.

"Yeah, just wanted to say bye," she nodded and kissed him. "Bye."

"Bye," Jess smiled. "Call me when you get to the hotel."

"I will," Rory promised. "I'll see you in a couple weeks."

They shared another kiss, then Rory turned and ran back down the stairs, leaving Jess to watch her go, smiling as he thought about how much he loved the tornado of a woman in front of him.

"Bye, Luke!" Rory hugged her stepfather quickly. "Have fun with April."

"I will," he assured her. "Try not to throw up too much."

"The throwing up isn't the problem," Lorelai shook her head. "She's a screamer."

Before Rory could argue this point, the elder Gilmore ducked out the front door and ran for the Jeep, leaving her daughter to follow.

"I am not a screamer!"

"Are too," Lorelai shot back. "Come on, just admit that you're scared."

"I am not scared," Rory shook her head. "Are you scared?"

"No I am not, and I'm also not a screamer." She put the car in gear and headed towards the highway, smiling as they passed the Stars Hollow sign.

"One time!" Rory cried. "It was one time!"

"Once a screamer, always a screamer," Lorelai shrugged.

"I was seven," Rory argued. "And didn't we strike up a deal in which I did that stupid re-enactment and you didn't mock me for screaming?"

"Did we shake on it?" Lorelai asked.

"No."

"'Well then it doesn't count," she grinned evilly and Rory's only thought was, 'it's going to be a long drive.'

 **A/N: And that's it! Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. A special thank you to my most loyal readers, who commented on every chapter. You guys give me the motivation to keep writing and I am incredibly grateful for your encouragement and support. I have one final story planned in this series entitled Guns of Brixton. I hope to start publishing it soon and can't wait for you guys to read it. Thanks again!**

 **-Em**


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